Logical Reasoning · Paradox
PrepTest 156 · Section 2 · Question 3
Phase 1 (your first ~400 questions): read the guidance, then answer. No clock.
Step 1 · Pre-Question Guidance · read this first
- “surprisingly”
- “higher”
- “than”
Playground logic
Kids who get Aunt Rosa's spelling help miss more words than kids who don't. Weird! The handshake: Aunt Rosa only helps kids who already struggle with spelling, so of course their scores start lower.
Step 2 · The kid story
Aunt Rosa's Spelling Club
Lulu was puzzled. She had counted every spelling quiz in Ms. Rivera's class. "The kids in Aunt Rosa's spelling club miss more words than the kids who aren't in the club," she said. "Isn't the club supposed to help?" Marcus slapped the table. "Case closed. Aunt Rosa is making them worse!" Priya sipped her juice box and asked one question. "Who gets put in the club?" Ms. Rivera smiled. "Only students who were already having a hard time with spelling." Lulu's eyes went wide. "Oh! The club kids started with lower scores. The club didn't cause the misses. The misses caused the club." Both facts could now shake hands. Marcus quietly put away his detective hat.
Step 3 · Try the model question
Students in Aunt Rosa's after-school spelling club miss more words on quizzes than students who are not in the club. This is odd, since the club is meant to improve spelling.
Which of these, if true, best clears up the puzzle?
Step 4 · The courtroom tale
The Fire Truck Mystery
"Your Honor," said the city's lawyer, "neighborhoods with a fire station nearby report more fires than neighborhoods without one. The stations must be attracting fires!" Laughter rippled through the gallery. Mr. Whitfield rose, adjusting his suspenders. "May I ask the city planner one question? Where do you build new stations?" The planner shrugged. "Only in the neighborhoods that already had the most fires. Old wooden buildings, lots of them." Mr. Whitfield turned to the bench. "The stations didn't bring the fires, Your Honor. The fires brought the stations." The judge chuckled. "Two facts, one handshake. Next case."
Step 5 · Work the real question
Open PrepTest 156, Section 2, Question 3 in your official copy from LSAC (for example in LawHub) and read it there.
Your answer
How to apply it
State both sides of the puzzle in one line: a group that gets extra help or watching does worse than a group that doesn't. Look for a choice that explains how the groups differed before the help arrived, so the gap makes sense. Toss choices that only praise the helper, only talk about differences inside one group, or explain just one side of the puzzle.