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 jonwg5121
  • Posts: 38
  • Joined: Jun 06, 2015
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#18894
Can you please diagram the stimulus and answer choice (A)? Thank you.
 Nikki Siclunov
PowerScore Staff
  • PowerScore Staff
  • Posts: 1362
  • Joined: Aug 02, 2011
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#18920
Hey Jon,

This is a Parallel Reasoning question, where the stimulus contains conditional reasoning. In its most simplified form, the argument can be diagrammed as follows:
Premise 1+2: Joe's car vacuumed :arrow: K & L vacuum it :arrow: Joe took the car to have it fixed (conditional premises)

Premise 3: Joe's car vacuumed (factual premise)

Conclusion: Joe took the car to have it fixed
Essentially, we have a conclusion containing an additive inference from the chain relationship established by the premises. We are looking for the same pattern of reasoning, where the author observes that A :arrow: B :arrow: C, and concludes that if A occurred, then C must have occurred as well. That pattern of reasoning is restated in answer choice (A):
Premises 1+2: Glass wet :arrow: Emily drank from it this morning :arrow: Takes medication

Premise 3: Glass wet (note: the first clause of the first sentence establishes this fact)

Conclusion: Emily took her medication
In understanding the conditional structure of answer choice (A), it is important to recall that "only if" is a necessary condition indicator, suggesting that drinking water in the morning is a necessary condition for Emily's glass being wet. In addition, the statement "the only time she drinks water in the morning is when she takes her medication" establishes "taking medication" as the necessary condition for "drinking water in the morning." It is not surprising to find the factual premise (Emily's water glass is, in fact, wet) buried in the very beginning of the argument, i.e. where you least expect to find it. The order of premises and conclusion(s) need not be matched in the correct answer choice; it is the argument structure, not the order of presentation, that is of any importance.

Hope this clears things up! :) If you need additional help with conditional reasoning, please consult the Homework to Lesson 2 of our course book, or the relevant chapters in the Logical Reasoning or Logic Games Bibles.
 kmpaez
  • Posts: 12
  • Joined: Sep 18, 2017
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#43045
Could you please further explain why the statement "the only time she drinks water in the morning is when she takes her medication" establishes "takes her medication" as the necessary condition? I think "the only" and "when"(a sufficient condition indicator?) are confusing me.

Thank you.
 Emily Haney-Caron
PowerScore Staff
  • PowerScore Staff
  • Posts: 577
  • Joined: Jan 12, 2012
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#43334
Hi kmpaez,

Thanks for the question! It might help to just pause and think of the meaning of the phrase you highlighted. You have two options:
If Emily drank water in the morning, then she took her medication
OR
If Emily took her medication, then she drank water in the morning

From the statement in the stimulus, we actually don't know whether Emily always drinks water when she takes her medication. We just know there are no times when she drank water but didn't take her medication. That means the first one has to be correct. If you diagram "If Emily drank water in the morning, then she took her medication" (our rephrase), you'll see that drinking water has to be sufficient and taking medication has to be necessary.

Hope that helps!

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