LSAT 117 | Section 2 | Logical Reasoning: Q25

LR Question 25 Explanation

QUESTION TEXT: The first bicycle, the Draisienne …

QUESTION TYPE: Flawed Reasoning

CONCLUSION: Some change in societal values must have occurred between 1817 and the 1860s.

REASONING:

• The first bike came in 1817, was a short trend, and then disappeared.
• Bikes reappeared in the 1860s.
• New technology is only accepted when it aligns with society’s values.

ANALYSIS: The argument goes like this:

• Bikes weren’t accepted in 1817.
• They were accepted in the 1860s.
• So there must’ve been a change in values.

But this is assuming that bikes failed in 1817 because society’s values did not support them. We’re never told that though. The bikes could have disappeared for many other reasons. Maybe they were too expensive, or poorly designed, or roads were unsuitable.

The premise only tells us that: If technology is accepted → it fits society’s values.

But then the author treats it like: If NOT accepted → NOT fit society’s values.

That doesn’t follow. A technology can fit society’s values and still fail for other reasons.

___________

1. The argument doesn’t need to assume that fads are never genuine acceptance. The author could agree that bikes were briefly accepted in 1817. The real issue is why they disappeared afterward.
2. The author does recognize that bikes were accepted again in the 1860s. That’s why they conclude values must have changed.
3. Whether the Draisienne was truly the first bicycle does not matter. The argument is about why bikes disappeared and later returned.
4. The question “Why was this?” is directly relevant. The conclusion is trying to answer it.
5. CORRECT. The author assumes the disappearance of bikes must be explained by a mismatch with society’s values. But other explanations are possible: cost, design problems, road conditions, safety issues, or manufacturing limits. So the argument ignores alternative causes of the initial failure.