LSAT 134 | Section 2 | Logical Reasoning: Q1

LR Question 1 Explanation

QUESTION TEXT: Certain companies require their managers to rank …

QUESTION TYPE: Identify the Conclusion

ANALYSIS: The first 2 sentences just describe the ranking system:

• Every worker gets a unique ranking.
• Top 10% are rewarded.
• Bottom 10% are penalized or fired.

Then comes the author’s opinion: But this system is unfair to workers.

That “but” is the conclusion indicator.

Everything after this sentence explains why the system is unfair.

The author gives two reasons:

1. Group strength matters. A good worker can still end up near the bottom if everyone else in their group is even better.
2. Manager bias matters. Managers sometimes favor workers they like outside of work instead of ranking purely by performance.

Both points support the same conclusion that the ranking system is unfair.

___________

1. This is just background. It describes how the system works, not the author’s main point.
2. Also background. The author assumes this is true and then argues that the system is unfair.
3. CORRECT. This paraphrases the conclusion. The author’s entire argument is that the ranking system is unfair because it can punish good workers and reward workers for the wrong reasons.
4. That’s one of the reasons the author thinks the system is unfair. It supports the conclusion but is not the conclusion itself.
5. Same as D. This is the 2nd premise. It explains why the author believes the system is unfair, but it isn’t the author’s main claim.