Logical Reasoning · Point at Issue

PrepTest 144 · Section 2 · Question 3

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

Step 1 · Pre-Question Guidance · read this first

Question type

Point at Issue

The one idea it tests

Two people see the same link and argue about which way the arrow points.

The basic logic

Speaker one sees that every member of a group has a trait and decides joining the group produces the trait. Speaker two says the trait came first and caused the joining. They agree on the observation. They disagree on whether joining causes the trait.

Tiny words that decide it

“every”
“because”
“first”
“so”

Playground logic

Frankie notices every chess club kid is patient and says joining makes you patient. Sharon says patient kids join because they were patient already. Both clipboards agree on who is in the club; they split on whether the club causes the patience.

Step 2 · The kid story

Frankie, Sharon, and the Chess Club

Frankie slammed his tray down at lunch. "Every single kid in chess club is super patient. So let's sign up all the fidgety kids. Chess club will turn them patient!" Sharon didn't even look up from her sandwich. "Backwards. Kids join chess club because they're already patient. Fidgety kids would just knock the pieces over. Joining won't change a thing." Kevin leaned in. "Do dinosaurs play chess?" Nobody answered. Priya pulled out two clipboards. On Frankie's she wrote: club makes patience. On Sharon's: patience comes first, club changes nothing. "You both agree chess kids are patient," Priya said. "Your fight is about one question: does joining actually make a kid more patient?" Frankie and Sharon glared at each other. Then, in perfect unison: "Yes!" "No!"

Step 3 · Try the model question

Frankie: Every member of the chess club is patient, so we should sign up fidgety kids to make them patient. Sharon: Kids join the chess club because they are patient already. Signing up fidgety kids will not make them any more patient.

Frankie and Sharon disagree about whether

Step 4 · The courtroom tale

The Tall Team

Two lawyers argued before Judge Lin. Mr. Whitfield said, "Every player on the town volleyball team is tall. Clearly volleyball makes you grow. My client's gym should get funding to start youth teams." Ms. Chen replied, "The coach picks tall players to begin with. Height brings them to volleyball, not the other way around. Youth teams won't add an inch." Judge Lin folded her hands. "Neither of you disputes that the players are tall. The only dispute is whether playing causes the height. Bring me evidence on that, and we'll talk." Mr. Whitfield measured himself against the bench. "I played for ten years," he muttered. He was five foot six.

Step 5 · Work the real question

Open PrepTest 144, Section 2, Question 3 in your official copy from LSAC (for example in LawHub) and read it there.

Your answer

How to apply it

Fill two clipboards, one per speaker. Write what each one actually claims, including the cause each one names. Find the fact both accept and set it aside. Then find the claim where one says yes and the other says no. Test each answer: does speaker one take a side on it, and does speaker two take the opposite side? Drop answers only one speaker touches or that neither speaker addresses.