LSAT 10 | Section 1 | Logical Reasoning: Q21

LR Question 21 Explanation

QUESTION TEXT: The Japanese haiku is defined as a poem of three lines with …

QUESTION TYPE: Flawed Reasoning

CONCLUSION: English poets disrespect foreign traditions.

REASONING: They don’t strictly follow the 5-7-5 syllable rule of haikus.

ANALYSIS: That seems like quite a strong assertion. The author observes a change in form and automatically assumes it reflects a lack of respect. What if it’s due to creative adaptation, cultural blending, or linguistic differences? None of these possibilities are considered.

___________

1. Not the issue here. The author isn’t confusing facts with feelings, they’re just interpreting the action as a sign of disrespect.
2. CORRECT. The conclusion that English poets disrespect foreign traditions is a broad claim. It’s a clear overgeneralization.
3. No stereotype is used. The author is commenting on specific poetic behavior, not relying on cultural stereotypes.
4. That would be a flaw if the argument needed to prove uniqueness, but the author is doing the opposite: generalizing from a single trend. So this misses the point.
5. Actually, the argument does assume that ignoring the form = disrespect. So this just repeats what the author actually does.