PrepTest 154

Correct. Argument or Facts:
Argument

Valid or Flawed:
Flawed

Question Type:
Point at Issue

Stimulus Summary:
Who hasn't had a knockdown, drag-out argument over Malory's Le Morte D'Arthur? Flores says that Malory writes Gawain sometimes as a hero and sometimes as a criminal because Malory was using sources written at different times, and the role of Gawain in the Arthur myth has changed over time. This has made Malory's portrayal incoherent, Flores claims. Piro acknowledges that Malory did use sources written at different times, but points out that Malory writes Gawain as a hero during crises and a criminal during stable periods. (So maybe Gawain just gets bored easily? Relatable.)

Answer Anticipation:
Piro explicitly agrees with some portions of Flores's argument, including the use of sources that were written over a pretty broad range of time. So, you can rule out an awful lot of potential answer choices. What's Piro's actual bone to pick with Flores? It seems to be about whether or not Malory's portrayal of Gawain was "incoherent." If Gawain's behavior was consistent when you consider the context and his motivations, then it would not be an incoherent portrayal.

Answer Explanation:
Yep, right up front. That I-word is the big issue here. Piro thinks it must be false that Malory's portrayal of Gawain is incoherent (i.e., Piro would say "No"), and Flores thinks it must be true (i.e., Flores would say "Yes").

Key Takeaway:
The LSAT loves Point at Issue questions lately, so get used to the mantra "must be true for one speaker, must be false for the other" (i.e., the correct answer choice passes the "Yes/No" test). Only the correct answer choice will match this description in a Point at Issue question. All incorrect answers will be either "at least one person doesn't have an opinion on this" or "one person thinks this must be true, the other thinks it could or must be true."

Incorrect. Both Piro and Flores think this must be true. They say so directly. This would be a correct answer choice on a Point of Agreement question.

Incorrect. It's implied that both probably agree with this statement, though neither says so explicitly. They both acknowledge the validity of a judgment based on this.

Incorrect. Both Piro and Flores say this is true. They only disagree on whether or not this makes the portrayal incoherent.

Incorrect. Both Piro and Flores seem to agree with this, as they both agree that the variation in Malory's sources may have influenced his portrayal of Gawain.