PT48, S4, Q22 If there is an election, you can either vote

[bbirdwell]

22. (D)
Question Type: Application: Match the Reasoning
First we need to strip the content of the argument and pare it down to its logical essentials. Here, this looks something like this:

If X (election) -> option 1 or 2 (vote or not)
If option 1 -> result A (satisfaction)
If option 2 -> result B (no right to complain)
Therefore, if X, either A or B.

Answer choice (D) best matches this structure.
If X (computer) -> option 1 or 2 (readable or not)
If option 1 -> result A (password)
If option 2 -> result B (encrypted)
Therefore, if X, either A or B

(A) incorrectly brings a new element into the conclusion (better off).
(B) does not match. It does not address the result of not feeling relaxed and it does not restate "If X" at the end, it merely says you will be sore or become better conditioned, both results of feeling relaxed.
(C) deviates from the pattern in the second sentence. Following the initial dichotomy (option 1 or 2), the correct answer must follow the form "If 1...If 2..." The statements in the choice are backwards, as they explain what brings about each option, not vice versa..
(E) incorrectly brings a new element into the conclusion (should be fined).

[uhdang]

While I can see why D) is the closest match to the stimulus, when I was identifying some of the features that could be repeated in the answer choices, one of them was "tense" change. The stimulus changes the tense from present to future. But there doesn't seem to be happening of this in D).

So, I guess for parallel reasoning question, when they ask for "the closest" match, they do mean "the closest"? It was a bit confusing for me because for other question types, I was informed that although they word it as "the most appropriate answer", there is ALWAYS clear-cut in why wrong answers are wrong and why right answers are right.

So, when judging the "closest" match, if we are given two or three answer choices that do contain repeated structural features, should we go for the one with the most features? I'm not sure if LSAT is this cruel to give us that kind of question (one with two repeated features and another with three repeated features to pick the latter.), but has there been one like it?

[maryadkins]

I wouldn't use tense change as a feature in the sense that you're using the word "feature," which is to refer to attributes you're looking to match up on a match the reasoning/parallel question.

You want to look for LOGICAL parallels. Logical structure isn't going to hinge on the tense of a verb. Though it's understandable you'd think that initially! See, this is good...you're learning what to look for.

And to answer your question: on these, you want to match all features, not some or most.

Hope this helps!