Prompt: The reasoning in which one of the following is most similar to the reasoning in the argument above?
Difficulty: ππππ
How will the right answer fit in terms of support and conclusion?
Only the right answer will have the same kind of support and the same kind of conclusion the passage.
Highlight the main conclusion in the passage, if there is one:
if the most qualified candidate is elected and Suarez is not elected, then Anderson will be.
[SUPPORT]. Thus, [CONCLUSION].
The support is if not one thing, “Anderson is”. Then the conclusion is that “Anderson will be”. Most/all of the wrong answers can get knocked out just looking for that structure: support says someone is a thing if…, and the conclusion says that same person will be that thing if…
Map the wording of the answers to the wording of the passage:
(A) …then it will go to Caldwell.
Nope, the support didn’t say what “will” happen. That was only in the conclusion.
(B) …then it is Ramsey. So…it will go to Ramsey.
I wouldn’t know this is right yet, but I’m not eliminating it. Do you see how it’s present tense in the support, then future tense in the conclusion, and it’s about the same person both times? That all maps.
(C) …then Johnson will be.
Again, the support is predicting the future. The passage didn’t do that.
(D) …then neither did Easton.
Careful, there’s no “neither” or a synonym in the passage.
(E) then Sullivan is. So…it will not be awarded to the lowest bidder.
The support passed my test, but then the conclusion should say Sullivan will be. Now we’re down to one that’s the “most similar”.
(B) is the correct answer.
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