Logical Reasoning

PT3 · S2 · Q7 Those who participate in local politics

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Those who participate in local politics include people who are genuinely interested in public service and people who are selfish opportunists.

Premise 1

Local politics participants include both genuine public-service types and selfish opportunists. (So: at least some participants are opportunists.)

Premise 2

Everyone who participates in local politics has an influence on the community's values.

Evaluate

If at least some participants are opportunists, and every participant has influence on the community's values, then those opportunist-participants have influence too. So: some opportunists have influence.

Goal

Find the answer that strictly follows: some selfish opportunists have an influence on the community's values.

7.

If the statements above are true, which one of the following must also be true?

  1. Correct

    Some selfish opportunists have an

    Why this is right

    This follows directly. Opportunists are among the participants in local politics (premise 1). Every participant has an influence on the community's values (premise 2). So at least some selfish opportunists — namely, the ones who participate — have an influence on the community's values.

    Skill tested: Must be True · how this choice captures the argument's function is the move to repeat next time.

    83% picked this

  2. Some persons who are interested

    Contradicted

    This says some public-service participants do not have influence. But the stimulus says every participant has influence on community values, and public-service folks are participants. So all of them have influence — none lack it. This contradicts the stimulus.

    1% picked this

  3. All those who have an

    Too Strong

    This is a reversal. The stimulus says all participants have influence, not that everyone with influence participates. There could be people who influence community values without being involved in local politics — clergy, teachers, business owners, and so on. We cannot conclude all influencers are participants.

    2% picked this

  4. Some of those who influence

    Out of Scope

    The stimulus says nothing about influencers who are neither public-service types nor opportunists. The premise about participants only tells us those two types are among the participants — it does not say they are the only kinds, and it does not address non-participants who might influence values. We cannot know whether such people exist.

    4% picked this

  5. All those who have an

    Too Strong

    This says all influencers must be one of those two types. The stimulus does not support that. It only describes what is true of participants in local politics — it does not say the only ways to influence community values are through those two participant types. Other influencers (non-participants of any motivation) are entirely possible.

    10% picked this

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