Logical Reasoning · Inference (Complete the Argument)

PrepTest 145 · Section 2 · Question 13

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

Step 1 · Pre-Question Guidance · read this first

Question type

Inference

The one idea it tests

Chain the premises together and fill the blank with exactly where the chain lands, no further.

The basic logic

Premise one: little contact leads to little understanding. Premise two: two good things rely mostly on knowing. Link them: without contact, those good things will be hard to come by. Watch for answers that reverse the chain or overstate it.

Tiny words that decide it

“depend largely”
“it follows”
“little”

Playground logic

Nadia's two patties connect like train cars: kids who never play together know little about each other's favorite things, and good gift picking depends mostly on knowing favorites. The top bun is where the train stops: without playing together, picking good gifts will be hard.

Step 2 · The kid story

The Gift Train

Nadia was in charge of the class secret gift swap. She noticed a problem. "Kids who never play together hardly know each other's favorite things," she told Owen. "And picking a good gift depends mostly on knowing someone's favorites." Owen nodded slowly. "So..." Marcus jumped in. "So everyone who plays together gives perfect gifts!" Priya shook her head and sipped her juice box. "That's not where the train stops, Marcus. Knowing favorites helps, but it doesn't guarantee anything." Lulu wrote it out on her clipboard: no playing together, so hard to know favorites, so hard to pick a good gift. Nadia grinned and paired up kids who had never played together for a game of tag first. "Research," she explained.

Step 3 · Try the model question

Nadia: Kids who never play together know little about each other's favorite things. Since picking a good gift depends mostly on knowing someone's favorite things, it follows that ____.

Which choice below most sensibly fills in the blank?

Step 4 · The courtroom tale

The Case of the Silent Neighbors

Two neighbors were in court over a fence. Mr. Whitfield explained. "Your Honor, these two have not spoken in ten years, so they know almost nothing about each other's needs. And fair fence-building depends largely on knowing what your neighbor needs." Judge Lindqvist finished his thought. "So without talking, they'll struggle to build a fair fence." "Precisely," said Mr. Whitfield. The other lawyer stood. "So if they talk, the fence will be perfect?" The judge sighed. "No, counselor. Talking helps. It doesn't promise anything." She ordered the neighbors to have coffee together before the next hearing.

Step 5 · Work the real question

Open PrepTest 145, Section 2, Question 13 in your official copy from LSAC (for example in LawHub) and read it there.

Your answer

How to apply it

Write each premise as a link: A leads to little B, and C depends largely on B. Join the links into one chain and see where it stops: without A, C will be hard. Pick the choice that says that, at that strength. Reject choices that flip the chain or claim more than the chain can carry.