PrepTest 112

[lcid:3544] Prep Test 112 LSAT — Logical Reasoning — S1 Logical reasoning

Question prompt

Although it has been Remaining source text redacted.
Why the credited answer is right

Credited answer: C

The notes below walk through why it fits the stem and how to eliminate the rest.

Argument or Facts

Argument

Valid or Flawed

Flawed

Question Type

Errors in Reasoning Questions

Stimulus Summary

Some suggest: Arton’s plays are patriotic
Author: At the time Arton wrote, morale in the country was low, so Arton couldn’t have been patriotic/written patriotic plays

Answer Anticipation

The argument here draws a conclusion about Arton - she could not have written patriotic plays, or at least didn’t intend them to be patriotic. Is this based on an analysis of Arton’s plays and their content. Nope?
Is it based on an analysis of Arton’s politics or her personal life? Also nope! Instead, it’s based on the overall morale of the nation at the time. However, there’s no guarantee that Arton felt the same was as the majority of the nation. It’s possible that she was in the minority that felt especially patriotic at the time.
Let’s find an answer reflecting that the argument assumes Arton felt the way that the majority of her countrymates felt, or that she wrote in a way that reflected the prevailing mood. This is a variation on a Part vs. Whole flaw, specifically going from what is true of the whole to what is true of a specific part.

Answer choices

  1. A
    posits an unstated relationship Remaining source text redacted.
    Why choice A is not credited
    The crime and unemployment rates were raised as two separate reasons for morale to be low in the country - they weren’t discussed as having a relationship between them.
  2. B
    takes for granted that Remaining source text redacted.
    Why choice B is not credited
    The argument doesn’t state that no author could be patriotic - just that Arton wasn’t since the prevailing mood in her country when she wrote wasn’t patriotic.
  3. C
    takes for granted that Remaining source text redacted.
    Why choice C matches the stem
    This answer reflects the disconnect between the premises about the country as a whole and Arton specifically. The argument concludes that Arton couldn’t have been feeling patriotic because the country overall wasn’t feeling patriotic. That assumes Arton was “attuned to the predominant national attitude.”
  4. D
    overlooks the fact that Remaining source text redacted.
    Why choice D is not credited
    If anything, Arton prospering at this time might explain a patriotic bent in her writing. Since this possibility aligns with the argument, it wouldn’t be a flaw to overlook it.
  5. E
    confuses irony with a Remaining source text redacted.
    Why choice E is not credited
    This answer is just throwing a couple terms from the stimulus together and hoping that you bite. The morale is the prevailing mood in the country; the irony is what the author assumes must explain any supposed patriotism in Arton’s writings. The two aren’t connected, so the author doesn’t confuse them.

What this tests

Discussion

  • answer A 1 reply

    Started by Maria-Marin

  • Clarification? 6 replies

    Started by MGN2014

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