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Logical Reasoning · Most Strongly Supported

PrepTest 155 · Section 2 · Question 9

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

Step 1 · Pre-Question Guidance · read this first

Question type
Most Strongly Supported
The one idea it tests
When a group is a minority of the kinds but a majority of the individual members, its kinds must average more members each than the other kinds.
The basic logic
Separate kinds from individuals. Fewer than half the kinds belong to the group, yet more than half the individuals do. The only way that works: the group's kinds, on average, are bigger. Do the math; avoid claims about any one specific kind.
Tiny words that decide it
  • “most”
  • “although”
  • “but”

Playground logic

Lulu's sticker book has mostly plain kinds of stickers, but most single stickers are sparkly. So the sparkly kinds must be the crowded ones, holding more stickers per kind on average.

Step 2 · The kid story

Lulu's Sticker Census

Lulu counts her sticker collection with her clipboard. She has ten kinds of stickers: three sparkly kinds and seven plain kinds. But when she counts every single sticker, most of them are sparkly! Tommy scratches his head. "How can most stickers be sparkly if most kinds are plain?" Lulu explains. "Because each sparkly kind has a big stack. The plain kinds only have a few each." Priya nods. "Fewer kinds, more stickers. That means sparkly kinds tend to have more stickers per kind." Marcus says, "So the biggest pile must be sparkly!" Lulu shakes her head. "I can't tell that for sure from my totals. I only know the average." Biscuit eats one sticker. The census is now outdated.

Step 3 · Try the model question

Most kinds of stickers in Lulu's book are not sparkly. However, most of the individual stickers in her book are sparkly.

Based on the passage, which claim has the strongest backing?

Choices

Step 4 · The courtroom tale

The Case of the Crowded Book Club

A library argued that its mystery shelf was overused. Mr. Whitfield read from the records: "Your Honor, most of the library's book clubs are not mystery clubs. Yet most of the people in book clubs belong to mystery clubs." The judge squinted. "How is that possible?" Mr. Whitfield smiled. "Simple. The mystery clubs are packed, and the other clubs are tiny. On average, a mystery club has more members than a non-mystery club." The opposing lawyer added, "So the single largest club is a mystery club!" Mr. Whitfield wagged a finger. "Not proven. Averages do not crown a single champion." The judge agreed and ordered a bigger mystery shelf.

Step 5 · Work the real question

Open PrepTest 155, Section 2, Question 9 in your official copy from LSAC (for example in LawHub) and read it there.

Your answer

How to apply it

Mark which statement counts kinds and which counts individuals. Notice the group is a minority of kinds but a majority of individuals. The supported answer must follow from comparing those two counts, which points to an average-per-kind conclusion. Use the Spoiler Test on each choice: reject answers that swap kinds for individuals, claim something about one particular kind, or bring in facts the passage never gives.