Logical Reasoning · Strengthen

PrepTest 151 · Section 2 · Question 18

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

Step 1 · Pre-Question Guidance · read this first

Question type

Strengthen

The one idea it tests

A cause guessed from 'it is always there' gets stronger when the damage looks exactly like the work of that suspect.

The basic logic

The patty is a match: the suspect shows up every time the effect shows up. The top bun says the suspect caused it. Look for an answer that fits the suspect's special way of doing damage, so the clue points to this suspect and not just to someone standing nearby.

Tiny words that decide it

“always”
“cause”
“only”

Playground logic

Marcus sees Mr. Whiskers next to every pile of fallen books (patty) and says the cat knocks them down (top bun). Being nearby is weak proof. The fix is a clue that only books at cat height ever fall, which fits the cat's way of working.

Step 2 · The kid story

The Case of the Fallen Books

Every morning, Ms. Rivera finds books on the classroom floor. And every morning, Mr. Whiskers, the visiting class cat, is curled up right beside the pile. Marcus snaps on his detective hat. "Case closed! The cat is knocking the books down." Priya sips her juice box. "Maybe. But a cat napping near a mess is not the same as a cat making the mess. Biscuit visits too. So does the wind from the window." Lulu checks her clipboard. "Here is something. The books on the floor only ever come from the bottom shelf. The one at cat height." Marcus grins. "See?" Priya nods slowly. "Now that helps. Wind would hit the top shelf too. A kid would grab any shelf. That damage pattern fits a cat's reach."

Step 3 · Try the model question

Books are found on the classroom floor each morning, and the class cat is always found sleeping next to them. So Marcus concludes that the cat is the one knocking the books off the shelves.

Which choice, if true, gives the most help to Marcus's conclusion?

Step 4 · The courtroom tale

The People v. the Paper Boy

Mailboxes up and down Maple Lane have long scratches. A young man who delivers papers by bike rode past every one. "Your Honor," says the prosecutor, "he was always there." Mr. Whitfield snaps his suspenders. "So was the mail truck. So were the squirrels." The prosecutor calls a painter to the stand. "Every scratch," she says, "is at exactly one height, the height of a bike handlebar. Nothing higher, nothing lower." The judge raises an eyebrow. Mr. Whitfield sits down quietly. Being nearby was thin. A scratch that matches the tool the suspect carries is much thicker.

Step 5 · Work the real question

Open PrepTest 151, Section 2, Question 18 in your official copy from LSAC (for example in LawHub) and read it there.

Your answer

How to apply it

Find the top bun: the suspect said to cause the effect. Find the patty: usually the suspect simply shows up with the effect. Ask how this suspect would do the damage. Then hunt for the answer that fits that special way of working, so the clue points at this suspect. Skip answers that talk about what happens nearby, what eats what, or side facts that never touch how the effect is made.