Parallel Reasoning

[akalsi]

Hi,

I have some questions regarding the "match the premises" portion of Parallel Reasoning questions. I understand that the same wording rules that are used for the conclusion apply here. However, does this also mean that if certain elements (conditionals, causal relationships, opinions) that are presented in premises of the stimulus should also be presented in the premises of the answer choices?

Also, if a stimulus presents 2 premises and a conclusion, would the correct answer choice have to present a similar number as well (2 premises and conclusion), although it doesn't have to be presented in the same order? With that said, if there are certain other types of method of reasoning presented in the stimulus, such as presuppositions or subsidiary conclusions, would this idea also be paralleled? I guess I'm basically asking if all elements in the structure of the stimulus have to match the answer choice without taking into account specifics.

Thanks in advance for your help!

[Dave Killoran]

Hey Akalsi,

Thanks for the questions! In general, you typically see most of the elements matched in terms of structure and content. That is, if you have a conditional premise and then another premise based on the idea of "could," you'd see those two things in the correct answer. However, you have to think about that as a general guideline because the test makers do have the ability to throw curve balls into the mix and to, for example, include an extra, "benign" premise in the stimulus that doesn't figure in the reasoning. They are under no obligation to match every single element, just the ones that figure in producing the conclusion. So, for me, I often think about Matching the Premises as being more focused on the central premises and the manner in which they are stated (causal, "must" vs "could" ideas, etc).

Please let me know if that helps out, thanks!