Logical Reasoning · Paradox

PrepTest 137 · Section 2 · Question 2

Phase 1 (your first ~400 questions): read the guidance, then answer. No clock.

Step 1 · Pre-Question Guidance · read this first

Question type

Paradox

The one idea it tests

Something harmful can also be holding back a bigger harm, so removing it makes things worse.

The basic logic

A problem is blamed on one cause. The cause goes away, yet the problem speeds up. Look for a fact showing the old cause was secretly blocking something even worse.

Tiny words that decide it

“yet”
“after”
“however”

Playground logic

Tommy blamed the noisy repair shop for his slow lemonade sales, but when it closed, sales dropped faster. The Handshake Test passes when we learn the noise kept the ice cream truck away, so the 'bad' thing was also a shield.

Step 2 · The kid story

The Quiet Street Surprise

All summer, Tommy grumbled about the noisy lawnmower repair shop next to his lemonade stand. 'Nobody wants to stand by that racket,' he said. 'It scares my customers.' Then the shop closed. Tommy cheered. The street got quiet. And his sales went down even faster. 'That makes no sense!' he wailed. Priya sipped her juice box and pointed down the block. A bright ice cream truck was parked right where the shop's trucks used to idle. 'The ice cream driver hates noise,' she said. 'While the shop was open, he skipped this street. Now he parks here every day.' Tommy stared at his lemonade. 'So the noise was my bodyguard?' 'A loud, annoying bodyguard,' said Priya.

Step 3 · Try the model question

Tommy's lemonade sales were low for months, and he blamed the noisy repair shop next door. After the shop closed, however, his sales dropped faster than ever.

Suppose each choice below is true. Which one best clears up the puzzle?

Step 4 · The courtroom tale

The Quiet Block Problem

A shop owner sued the city for closing a loud night-shift workshop on her block. 'That racket kept my customers awake,' she admitted, 'yet since it closed, my shop has been doing worse than ever!' Mr. Whitfield stood. 'Your Honor, I call a witness.' A night guard explained: 'The workshop's bright lights and busy crew kept vandals away. Now the block is dark and empty, and the shop windows get smashed every week.' The judge nodded slowly. 'So the workshop did some harm, but it blocked a bigger harm. Puzzle solved.'

Step 5 · Work the real question

Open PrepTest 137, Section 2, Question 2 in your official copy from LSAC (for example in LawHub) and read it there.

Your answer

How to apply it

State both sides of the puzzle in your own words: a cause of harm went away, yet the harm grew faster. Ask what the old cause might have been holding back. Pick the choice that shows the old cause was blocking something worse. Reject choices that explain only one side of the puzzle or that never touch the change after the cause left.