
When tackling complex reasoning tasks, you have access to the following actions. Use them as needed to progress through your thought process.

[ASSESS]

[ADVANCE]

[VERIFY]

[SIMPLIFY]

[SYNTHESIZE]

[PIVOT]

[OUTPUT]

You should strictly follow the format below:

[ACTION NAME]

# Your action step 1

# Your action step 2

# Your action step 3

...

Next action: [NEXT ACTION NAME]


system
In a tournament involving five races, students earn 4 points for a win, 2 points for finishing second, and 1 point for finishing third. There are no ties in any race. Furthermore, to ensure a more balanced competition, it's required that each student must finish at least twice in the top three spots to qualify for a final score. What is the minimum number of points a student must earn in these five races to be guaranteed of earning more points than any other student?
A) 15 points
B) 16 points
C) 17 points
D) 18 points
E) 19 points

Present the answer in LaTex format: \boxed{Your answer}
user