Parallel ReasoningDiff: Hardest
Logic Breakdown
Passage Summary: Every moral act is a kept promise, and every kept promise is a win-win; however, since some kept promises aren't moral, some win-wins aren't moral either.
Conclusion: Some actions that secure mutual benefit are not actually moral actions.
Reasoning: All moral actions are agreement-keeping, and all agreement-keeping is securing mutual benefit, yet some instances of agreement-keeping are not moral.
Analysis: The structure here is a valid syllogism: All A are B, and all B are C. If we know that some B are not A, it logically follows that some C (the ones that are the non-A version of B) are not A. When looking for a parallel, focus on this nested 'All' relationship followed by a 'Some Not' distinction. The correct answer must maintain this exact logical flow without switching the direction of the categories.
Conclusion: Some actions that secure mutual benefit are not actually moral actions.
Reasoning: All moral actions are agreement-keeping, and all agreement-keeping is securing mutual benefit, yet some instances of agreement-keeping are not moral.
Analysis: The structure here is a valid syllogism: All A are B, and all B are C. If we know that some B are not A, it logically follows that some C (the ones that are the non-A version of B) are not A. When looking for a parallel, focus on this nested 'All' relationship followed by a 'Some Not' distinction. The correct answer must maintain this exact logical flow without switching the direction of the categories.
Passage Stimulus
Passage Redacted
Unlock Full Passage20.The pattern of reasoning in which one of the following arguments is most similar to that in the ethicist's argument?
Correct Answer
E
E matches perfectly: All books → texts (A → B); all texts → documents (B → C); not all texts are books (not all B are A, i.e., some B and not A); therefore some documents are not books (some C and not A).
Upgrade Your Prep
Ready to go beyond free explanations?
LSAT Perfection is the #1 modern LSAT prep platform, trusted by thousands of students for comprehensive test strategies, advanced drilling, and full analytics on every PrepTest.
Detailed explanations for 59 PrepTests
Advanced drillset builder
Personalized analytics
Built-in Wrong Answer Journal