Parallel ReasoningDiff: Medium
Logic Breakdown
Passage Summary: Since the flu shot worked perfectly for everyone who took it last year, and every student took it this year, the author concludes the school will be flu-free.
Conclusion: No students at South High School will contract the flu this season.
Reasoning: In a previous year, everyone who was vaccinated avoided the flu, and this year every student at the school has been vaccinated.
Analysis: The reasoning structure here is: 'In the past, condition X led to result Y; condition X is present now, so result Y will occur again.' It assumes that a past success rate is a perfect predictor for a current group. When looking for a parallel, find an argument that takes a past correlation or cause-effect relationship and applies it as a guarantee for a new, specific population. The logic is a bit optimistic, as it ignores the possibility that circumstances (or flu strains) might change.
Conclusion: No students at South High School will contract the flu this season.
Reasoning: In a previous year, everyone who was vaccinated avoided the flu, and this year every student at the school has been vaccinated.
Analysis: The reasoning structure here is: 'In the past, condition X led to result Y; condition X is present now, so result Y will occur again.' It assumes that a past success rate is a perfect predictor for a current group. When looking for a parallel, find an argument that takes a past correlation or cause-effect relationship and applies it as a guarantee for a new, specific population. The logic is a bit optimistic, as it ignores the possibility that circumstances (or flu strains) might change.
Passage Stimulus
Passage Redacted
Unlock Full Passage23.Which one of the following arguments is most similar in its reasoning to the argument above?
Correct Answer
A
It mirrors the structure: last month, repellent users weren’t bothered (P -> not Q last time); tonight, everyone here uses repellent (everyone has P now); hence tonight, none of us will be bothered (not Q now). Same time-shifted application of a past conditional to a current group.
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