LSAT 105 | Section 1 | Logical Reasoning: Q20

LR Question 20 Explanation

QUESTION TEXT: The nature of English literature reflects the …

QUESTION TYPE: Most Strongly Supported

FACTS:

1. English literature reflects the rich and diverse vocabulary of the language.
2. English is influenced both by Anglo-Saxon and French languages.
3. French language is the direct descendant of Latin, with some other traces.
4. French literature is simple and clear.

ANALYSIS: You might be tempted to draw the conclusion that English is rich because of its Anglo-Saxon influence, because the “French language is simple”. But we don’t know that the French language is simple, just French literature. And there’s nothing to say that the simplicity of French literature is due to the language.

All we know are the facts stated above.

___________

1. CORRECT. The passage states that English literature reflects the language, which is influenced by Anglo-Saxon and French.
2. This is the trap that I described above. It goes too far.
3. This is a similar trap to B, but goes even further. It never even addressed the size of the English vocabulary, let alone French. Richness is not the same as size.
4. French literature is simple and clear, but we don’t know how this relates to the language. Similarly, just because English literature is generally influenced by the richness of its language, doesn’t mean it cannot also have simple and clear literature.
5. It never discusses anything about the influence of the literatures on each other.