LSAT 118 | Section 4 | Logical Reasoning: Q25

LR Question 25 Explanation

QUESTION TEXT: Sarah: Our regulations for staff review are vague …

QUESTION TYPE: Principle – Justify

CONCLUSION: Some staff may be dismissed just because they have different views than the supervisors.

REASONING: The regulations for staff review are vague and difficult to interpret.

ANALYSIS: The regulation is vague …. so employees are going to be fired because of their personal views?

That’s a pretty big jump. Why would a vague rule necessarily lead to dismissals based on personal views? I mean, it’s not unheard of. We want the law to be precise so that it’s not left up to too much interpretation as that’s problematic. But we still need to state this assumption.

We need something that connects: vague rule → supervisor discretion → dismiss employees for non-performance reasons.

Sarah is worried that because “unsatisfactory performance” is undefined, somebody has to decide what it means. Who? Presumably the supervisors.

If supervisors get to interpret the regulation however they want, then personal disagreements could influence those interpretations.

___________

1. This tells us what happens when performance is only slightly below expectations. It says nothing about vague rules or supervisors using personal bias.
2. CORRECT. If interpreting regulations belongs solely to supervisors, then a vague regulation effectively gives supervisors broad discretion.
3. This says vague regulations can be used to make employees answer for their performance. That doesn’t explain dismissals based on personal views. In fact, it keeps the focus on performance.
4. Tempting since it sounds negative. But keeping employees in subordinate positions is completely different from dismissing them because of conflicting views.
5. Whether employees perceive specific rules as fairer is irrelevant. Sarah’s argument is about the possibility of biased dismissals, not perceptions of fairness.