LSAT 135 | Section 2 | Logical Reasoning: Q18

LR Question 18 Explanation

QUESTION TEXT: Historian: In rebuttal of my claim that West …

QUESTION TYPE: Most Strongly Supported

FACTS: People think West didn’t influence Stuart because West’s work is only mentioned once in Stuart’s diaries but:

• Stuart’s diaries mention several meetings with West
• Stuart’s close friend studied under West
• Stuart’s work frequently used West’s terminology, which no one else used at the time

ANALYSIS: They’re debating whether West influenced Stuart. He thinks yes. Some people object and say: but Stuart’s diaries only mention West’s work once.

The historian says that isn’t very persuasive because there is other evidence suggesting West influenced Stuart. You can see a summary of the evidence in the Facts section I wrote above.

Notice that none of these facts prove West influenced Stuart. But together, they make it much more plausible.

___________

1. This is a reasonable possibility, but the historian never says Stuart and Abella actually discussed West’s ideas. That’s speculation.
2. The evidence all points in the opposite direction.
3. Too far. The historian only says they didn’t use West’s terminology. They could still have been influenced by West in other ways.
4. CORRECT. This is a cautious conclusion, and it’s exactly what the evidence supports. Repeated meetings with West, Abella’s connection to West, and Stuart’s distinctive use of West’s terminology all support the idea that West influenced Stuart to some extent.
    
   Notice the careful wording (“not entirely free from”). That’s much easier to support than saying West was Stuart’s primary influence.
5. The stimulus says the terminology is common now, but it never says why. There’s no evidence that Stuart was responsible for making it common.