LSAT 130 | Section 1 | Logical Reasoning: Q4

LR Question 4 Explanation

QUESTION TEXT: At mock trials in which jury instructions were given

QUESTION TYPE: Principle – Conform

FACTS: In cases where judges instruct juries with jargon, the jury will match the judge’s own opinion. They pay attention to body language.

In cases where judges instruct juries in clear language, the jury is more likely to give a verdict that is different than the judge’s opinion.

ANALYSIS: This is fairly straightforward. The difference in instructions produced a change in jury behavior.

By the way, the second situation is “better”. We don’t want juries blindly agreeing with judges!

___________

1. The argument didn’t say this. In fact, it says “clear, nontechnical language” – so maybe those judges found a way to be precise in ordinary-speak.
2. This isn’t supported at all! The juries weren’t necessarily agreeing with the judge because of status. Instead, the body language was the only information the jurors had. They couldn’t understand the technical words.
3. This isn’t supported. In fact, the judge’s nonverbal cues were very effective in getting juries to agree with the judge’s opinions.
4. This is a crazy statement. We shouldn’t experiment with real trials! Those are important.
   We’re also given no evidence that the experiment would have had different results in real trials.
5. CORRECT. This is simple, but clear from the stimulus. Technical instruction produced agreement with the judge. Non-technical instruction sometimes produced disagreement.