Logical Reasoning · Must Be True

PrepTest 149 · Section 1 · 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 (Must Be True)

The one idea it tests

Chain a 'frequently' to an 'every' to get a guaranteed 'some'.

The basic logic

Look for links you can connect: things in group A frequently get trait B, and anything with trait B gets result C. So at least some members of A get C. Must-be-true answers are usually small 'some' claims, not big 'most' or 'all' claims.

Tiny words that decide it

“some”
“frequently”
“each”
“only a fraction”

Playground logic

Projects made for the school fair often win ribbons, and every ribbon winner hangs in the hall for a month. Lulu chains it: so some fair projects hang in the hall for a month. Nothing more, nothing less.

Step 2 · The kid story

The Hallway Hall of Fame

At Aunt Rosa's craft club, kids make projects. Most never win anything. A few win a ribbon, and a lucky few win several. Every ribbon winner gets hung in the school hallway for a whole month. Nadia is often asked to make a project for the school fair. Fair projects often win ribbons. But sometimes Nadia says no, because fair projects get a single sticker instead of a spot on Aunt Rosa's 'star wall' that lasts all year. Marcus jumps in. "So every craft in the hallway is a fair project!" Lulu checks her clipboard. "Nope. But fair projects often win ribbons, and every ribbon winner hangs in the hall. So at least some fair projects hang in the hall for a month." Priya clinks her juice box. "Safe and true."

Step 3 · Try the model question

Every craft that wins a ribbon hangs in the hallway for a month. Only a few crafts ever win a ribbon. Crafts made for the school fair often win ribbons, though their makers get a single sticker instead of a year on the star wall.

If all of the above is accurate, which statement has to be accurate too?

Step 4 · The courtroom tale

The Case of the Framed Photos

Your Honor, said Mr. Whitfield, the town museum frames every photo that wins the summer contest. Photos taken at the county parade often win that contest. The judge leaned in. "And?" "And the plaintiff claims that no parade photo has ever been framed at the museum." The opposing lawyer said, "I never saw one." Mr. Whitfield smiled. "Your Honor, if parade photos often win, and every winner gets framed, then some parade photos have been framed. Not all. Not most. Some." The judge nodded. "The chain holds. The claim fails."

Step 5 · Work the real question

Open PrepTest 149, Section 1, Question 13 in your official copy from LSAC (for example in LawHub) and read it there.

Your answer

How to apply it

List each statement as a link: 'all X are Y', 'X frequently are Y', 'only a few are Y'. Look for a shared middle term that lets two links chain together. The answer is usually a careful 'some' that the chain forces. Test each choice: could the facts be true and the choice false? If yes, cross it out. Watch for reversed links and preferences the passage never states.