LSAT 105 | Section 4 | Logical Reasoning: Q7

LR Question 7 Explanation

QUESTION TEXT: Willett: Lopez and Simmons, a married couple …

QUESTION TYPE: Principle – Strengthen

CONCLUSION: Lopez and Simmons are foolish to reveal their marriage right now.

REASONING: Evritech won’t hire more than one member of the same family so one of their offers would be withdrawn. They could keep it secret and claim they got married after getting hired. Since Evritech doesn’t fire employees who marry each other, both could keep their jobs.

ANALYSIS: What hidden value judgment is Willett making here?

He’s basically telling them to lie by omission to their employer. He thinks the wise decision is to hide their marriage from Evritech until they’ve secured their jobs.

We need a principle that justifies this line of reasoning. Something that says it’s okay to withhold information from your employer about personal affairs.

Without that principle, his advice looks questionable because hiding the marriage could be dishonest or improper.

___________

1. This is about what Evritech’s policies should be. Willett’s argument doesn’t depend on whether the company’s policies are consistent or fair.
2. This actually supports Evritech’s anti-nepotism policy. Willett isn’t arguing about whether the policy is justified.
3. This destroys Willett’s reasoning. If withholding information is as bad as lying, then keeping the marriage secret would be improper, making it much harder to call disclosure “foolish.”
4. Willett never says Lopez and Simmons should reject the jobs. He recommends a way to get both jobs while avoiding the policy.
5. CORRECT. If applicants have no duty to disclose their marital status, then hiding the marriage initially is a legitimate option, making it reasonable to call immediate disclosure foolish.