Logical Reasoning · Principle (Support)

PrepTest 153 · Section 2 · Question 8

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

Step 1 · Pre-Question Guidance · read this first

Question type

Principle (Support)

The one idea it tests

If someone keeps choosing option A when they could choose option B, and people pursue what they believe works best, then they do not really believe B works better.

The basic logic

The arguer concludes what someone truly believes from what they keep doing. The bridge is a rule linking actions to beliefs: people choose the approach they think is most effective. Find the principle that turns behavior into proof of belief.

Tiny words that decide it

“clearly”
“continue”
“most”

Playground logic

Tommy says sour candies are better trade bait, but every trade he offers chocolate. Lulu's top bun: he does not believe it. The secret sauce is a rule: traders offer what they think works best. Click that rule in and the argument locks.

Step 2 · The kid story

Tommy's Trading Secret

At lunch trade time, Tommy explains his big strategy. "Sour worms are even better than chocolate for getting good trades." Lulu writes this down. Then she watches him for a whole week. Monday, he offers chocolate. Tuesday, chocolate. Wednesday, he has sour worms in his bag and still offers chocolate. Lulu says, "Tommy, you do not believe what you said." Tommy gasps. "How do you know?" Lulu taps her clipboard. "Because traders always offer whatever they think will get the best trade. You had sour worms every day and kept offering chocolate. So you think chocolate works better." Tommy hides the sour worms. "They are mine anyway."

Step 3 · Try the model question

Tommy says sour worms are even better than chocolate for getting good trades. But he clearly does not believe this. He has had sour worms in his bag all week and still offers only chocolate.

Which rule, if true, gives Lulu's reasoning the most support?

Step 4 · The courtroom tale

The Case of the Silent Bell

A restaurant owner, Mr. Pike, swore in court that his front-door bell was his top method for bringing in customers. Judge Okoro read the record. "Yet every day for a year, you placed the sidewalk sign outside instead, and the bell sat in a drawer." Mr. Whitfield, for Mr. Pike, protested. "Your Honor, that proves nothing!" The judge folded her hands. "Business owners use the method they believe works best. If your client truly believed the bell worked better, he would have hung it. He chose the sign, day after day." Mr. Whitfield looked at his client. Mr. Pike looked at the ceiling. "The bell is very loud," he mumbled.

Step 5 · Work the real question

Open PrepTest 153, Section 2, Question 8 in your official copy from LSAC (for example in LawHub) and read it there.

Your answer

How to apply it

Find the conclusion about what someone believes and the evidence about what they keep doing. Ask: what general rule would make those actions reveal that belief? Look for a principle that says people of that kind pursue the approach they think works best. Test each choice: if it were true, would the repeated choice show the claimed belief is false? Discard rules that do not connect behavior to belief.