LSAT 128 | Section 3 | Logical Reasoning: Q14

LR Question 14 Explanation

QUESTION TEXT: Forty to 60 percent of students report, in anonymous surveys …

QUESTION TYPE: Flawed Reasoning

CONCLUSION: Reducing academic plagiarism will lead to a reduction of professional misconduct.

REASONING: Research shows that students who plagiarize are more likely to engage in professional misconduct later in life.

ANALYSIS: This is yet another example of the classic correlation versus causation. Just because students who plagiarize tend to commit professional misconduct later, it does not necessarily mean that plagiarism causes later misconduct.

There could be underlying causal factors (pathological lying, lack of ethics) that contribute to both. So the argument mistakenly assumes that reducing plagiarism will automatically reduce professional misconduct, without establishing causation.

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1. This says that the student survey on plagiarism is inaccurate. However, even if this were true, and the real number of students who plagiarize was much higher or lower, the argument stays the same. It is about the relationship between plagiarism and professional misconduct, and does not depend on how many students plagiarize.
2. The argument did not shift topics ambiguously or sneakily. It remained on the same topic throughout.
3. This would apply if the argument claimed that plagiarism is the sole cause of professional misconduct. But it never said it’s the only factor, just that reducing it will also reduce misconduct. So it assumes a causal connection but doesn’t claim it’s the only cause.
4. The argument doesn’t compare populations – it simply says those who plagiarize are more likely to engage in misconduct later. This also doesn’t match.
5. CORRECT. This reflects the flaw: inferring causation just based on correlation. Just because there’s a connection between plagiarism and misconduct, doesn’t necessarily mean the former is causing the latter.