Logical Reasoning · Evaluate

PrepTest 151 · Section 3 · 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

Evaluate

The one idea it tests

An argument calls people dishonest, but you can only be dishonest about something you noticed.

The basic logic

Find the gap between the evidence (people did not do something) and the conclusion (they chose badly on purpose). The best question is one whose yes answer helps and whose no answer hurts. That is the Seesaw Test.

Tiny words that decide it

“few”
“most”
“so”

Playground logic

Marcus says most kids were sneaky because they kept the extra sticker. The secret sauce is that the kids even knew the sticker was there. Ask whether they looked, and the seesaw tips both ways.

Step 2 · The kid story

The Extra Sticker Mystery

Ms. Rivera tried a little experiment. When she handed back homework folders, she slipped one extra shiny sticker into each folder. Only a few kids came back to say, "Hey, I got an extra one." Marcus put on his detective hat. "Case closed," he said. "Most of the class is sneaky. They kept the stickers on purpose." Priya tapped her juice box. "Hold on, detective. Did everyone even open their folders?" Marcus blinked. Kevin raised his hand. "I never open my folder. I just stuff it in my backpack next to my dinosaur." Nadia laughed. "Me neither." Priya smiled. "If kids never saw the sticker, they can't be sneaky about it. If they did see it, Marcus might have a point."

Step 3 · Try the model question

Ms. Rivera slipped an extra sticker into every student's homework folder. Only a few students told her about it. So, Marcus says, most students who got an extra sticker acted sneakily.

Knowing the answer to which question would be most useful for judging Marcus's argument?

Step 4 · The courtroom tale

The Case of the Unreturned Library Bookmark

In a small fictional town, the library tucked a free bookmark into every returned book. Few people mentioned it. The town's lawyer told Judge Ruiz, "Your Honor, most readers are greedy!" Mr. Whitfield stood up slowly. "One question, Your Honor. Did these readers ever flip to the page with the bookmark? If they did, maybe my friend is right. If the bookmark sat unseen in chapter twelve, nobody chose anything." The judge set down her pen. "So the answer would swing the case either way. Find out whether they saw it."

Step 5 · Work the real question

Open PrepTest 151, Section 3, Question 2 in your official copy from LSAC (for example in LawHub) and read it there.

Your answer

How to apply it

Spot the conclusion: a claim about what the people chose. Spot the evidence: what they did not do. Ask what must be true for 'did not do' to mean 'chose badly'. Usually they had to know the situation. Now test each question with the Seesaw: imagine a yes and a no. Keep the one where the two answers push the argument in opposite directions. Drop questions about side details, labels people give themselves, or what would happen in a different setup.