LSAT 108 | Section 3 | Logical Reasoning: Q9

LR Question 9 Explanation

QUESTION TEXT: In a recent poll of chief executive officers …

QUESTION TYPE: Flawed Reasoning

CONCLUSION: Top management of large corporations are not indifferent to employees.

REASONING: In a poll, most CEOs of 125 large corporations said that employee training and welfare are just as high a priority as customer satisfaction.

ANALYSIS: So Elon Musk says he cares about employees! Well, that must be true then. Not.

The argument goes from CEOs say employees are a top priority to top management is not indifferent to employees.

The problem is that what CEOs claim and what corporations actually do aren’t necessarily the same thing. Maybe they’re just saying that because it’s what’s expected of them.

___________

1. The argument doesn’t depend on a precise definition of “top management.” Whether it includes only CEOs or other executives too isn’t the main issue.
2. This is tempting. It’s pretty reasonable and not where the argument goes wrong. If you genuinely consider something a top priority, you’re probably not indifferent to it. The issue is whether the CEOs actually consider employees a top priority, not what follows from doing so.
3. The argument never assumes the CEOs’ priorities are misplaced. It says nothing about whether their priorities are correct or incorrect.
4. CORRECT. The argument assumes that the CEOs’ statements reflect reality. Without assuming the claims match actual practice, the conclusion doesn’t follow.
5. We don’t have any reason to think 125 CEOs of large corporations are an unrepresentative sample. The LSAT won’t let you simply assume a sample is bad because it isn’t the whole population.