LSAT 117 | Section 4 | Logical Reasoning: Q21

LR Question 21 Explanation

QUESTION TEXT: A small car offers less protection in an accident than …

QUESTION TYPE: Parallel Reasoning

CONCLUSION: It’s better to drive a small car than a big car.

REASONING: Small cars offer less protection in an accident, but they’re easier to maneuver, so accidents are less likely.

ANALYSIS: The structure is:

Option A is worse if the bad event happens.
But Option A makes the bad event less likely to happen.
So, Option A is preferable.

In shorthand: Worse consequences if disaster occurs, but lower chance of disaster occurring.

That’s what you want to look out for in the answer choices.

___________

1. This is about one change (becoming famous) causing another result (worse art). It doesn’t compare two options at all.
2. This weighs a downside (unhappiness) against an upside (lifelong learning). But indoor reading doesn’t make the original downside less likely. It simply produces a different benefit.
3. Like the stimulus, this compares two options (light vs. heavy vehicles). But the reason for choosing the lighter vehicle is that it’s cheaper to replace. So the preferred option doesn’t reduce the likelihood of the bad event (needing replacement). It just makes the bad event less costly.
4. This just balances costs and benefits of one behavior. There’s no structure of: worse if bad event occurs, but less likely that bad event occurs.
5. CORRECT. If you get an illness, vigorous exercise is worse. But vigorous exercise makes the illness less likely, so it’s still preferable. This is the same tradeoff and reasoning as the stimulus.