LSAT 135 | Section 2 | Logical Reasoning: Q1

LR Question 1 Explanation

QUESTION TEXT: Any museum that owns the rare stamp that features …

QUESTION TYPE: Principle – Conform

CONCLUSION: Any museum that owns this rare stamp shouldn’t display it, even if that means the public can’t see it.

REASONING: UV light causes the red ink on the stamp to fade, so displaying it would damage it.

ANALYSIS: For principle questions, we want to find a general rule that the argument is using.

Let’s strip away the details.

The argument says:

• Displaying the stamp will damage it.
• So, the museum should NOT display it.

Everything else (the red ink, UV light, rarity of the stamp) just explains why display would be damaging.

The principle that is behind the argument is much simpler: If displaying a piece would damage it, don’t display it.

___________

1. The argument never discusses how museums should be evaluated.
2. This might be tempting because UV light is mentioned. But the argument never says the museum should redesign its display cases. Instead, it concludes that the stamp shouldn’t be displayed at all. This answer is too specific and proposes a different solution.
3. Completely backwards. If something won’t be exposed to ultraviolet light, there’s no problem using red ink. And more importantly, the argument isn’t about when to use red ink.
4. CORRECT. This is exactly the principle the argument applies. Since this stamp would be damaged by display, it shouldn’t be displayed.
5. Wrong. In fact, the argument reaches the opposite practical result. It says the museum should deny the public the chance to see the stamp in order to preserve it. Whether education is a museum’s primary purpose plays no role in the reasoning.