PrepTest 73, Logical Reasoning 1, Question 25
Transcript
Question 25, when we see a blank and the question asking us about what will logically complete the argument, we have to take a moment extra to figure out what type of question we're dealing with. Because it all depends on what we're being asked to add to the argument. You can usually determine that by looking for the keywords in front of the blank. And here, the keyword at the beginning of the sentence is hence which is a conclusory keyword.
So what they're looking for is a conclusion and what they're looking for is a conclusion. They're asking us to draw an inference from the information that we've been given. With all inference questions, we have to find the answer that we can prove. So we're gonna fill in the blank with something that we can prove from the information we've been given.
This question gives us several pieces of information that form a kind of causal chain. The first thing they tell me is that the student is writing a research paper and they want to find a book that they copied a passage from to quote into the paper, and here's where the causal chain starts. Without the book, they're not gonna be able to write an accurate citation.
Without an accurate citation, they're not gonna be able to include the quotation and then the completed paper will be much better with the quotation than without the quotation. Ignore the little set up here and turn each of these into a little rule. No book means no citation. No citation means no quote.
No quote means the paper is not going to be as good as it otherwise could be. And that means if we can't find the book, the paper is not going to be as good as it otherwise could be. When you've got a causal chain and an inference question, you can generally make a very strong prediction as to what the answer is going to be. So let's go to the answers and see what we can find.
Answer choice A, I'm going to have to include an inaccurate citation. No, the passage told us that without an accurate citation, they won't be able to include the quotation. So there's no possibility of an inaccurate citation. Answer choice B, I'll be unable to complete my research paper. No, the passage tells us that there's definitely going to be a completed paper.
There's no possibility of an incomplete paper. Answer choice C, if I don't find the book, my research paper will suffer. This is what we were looking for. No book, papers not is good as otherwise could have been. So the paper suffers. Answer choice C is exactly what we wanted.
So what's wrong with the other two answers? D says that they're gonna be unable to complete their paper, but we know that there's definitely going to be a completed paper. And once again, answer choice E is bringing up the possibility of including it without an accurate citation. But the evidence said without an accurate citation, they can't include it period.
So answer choice C matches our prediction and is our answer.
Read full transcriptSo what they're looking for is a conclusion and what they're looking for is a conclusion. They're asking us to draw an inference from the information that we've been given. With all inference questions, we have to find the answer that we can prove. So we're gonna fill in the blank with something that we can prove from the information we've been given.
This question gives us several pieces of information that form a kind of causal chain. The first thing they tell me is that the student is writing a research paper and they want to find a book that they copied a passage from to quote into the paper, and here's where the causal chain starts. Without the book, they're not gonna be able to write an accurate citation.
Without an accurate citation, they're not gonna be able to include the quotation and then the completed paper will be much better with the quotation than without the quotation. Ignore the little set up here and turn each of these into a little rule. No book means no citation. No citation means no quote.
No quote means the paper is not going to be as good as it otherwise could be. And that means if we can't find the book, the paper is not going to be as good as it otherwise could be. When you've got a causal chain and an inference question, you can generally make a very strong prediction as to what the answer is going to be. So let's go to the answers and see what we can find.
Answer choice A, I'm going to have to include an inaccurate citation. No, the passage told us that without an accurate citation, they won't be able to include the quotation. So there's no possibility of an inaccurate citation. Answer choice B, I'll be unable to complete my research paper. No, the passage tells us that there's definitely going to be a completed paper.
There's no possibility of an incomplete paper. Answer choice C, if I don't find the book, my research paper will suffer. This is what we were looking for. No book, papers not is good as otherwise could have been. So the paper suffers. Answer choice C is exactly what we wanted.
So what's wrong with the other two answers? D says that they're gonna be unable to complete their paper, but we know that there's definitely going to be a completed paper. And once again, answer choice E is bringing up the possibility of including it without an accurate citation. But the evidence said without an accurate citation, they can't include it period.
So answer choice C matches our prediction and is our answer.
