LSAT 155 | Section 1 | Logical Reasoning: Q20

LR Question 20 Explanation

QUESTION TEXT: Mr. Klemke argues that the complaints recently lodged…

QUESTION TYPE: Flawed Reasoning

CONCLUSION: The complaints against Mr. Klemke’s roofing company are not unfounded.

REASONING: Mr. Klemke claims that the complaints are unfounded. He asserts that the complainants are biased due to differing political views. However, people can have a bad experience with a company that has different political views.

ANALYSIS: I hope something about this argument bothered you. The author is essentially saying that since it’s possible the complainants aren’t biased, they are “clearly” founded. This, of course, does not make sense. While it’s true the complaints could be legitimate, the author has taken the conclusion too far in concluding that they are certainly legitimate.

___________

1. The author is not taking a consequence of the customer’s potential bias as the cause for the bias. The potential consequence is the bad review, and the alleged cause is the difference in political views.
2. CORRECT. This is exactly what the author does. They say that it’s possible that Mr. Klemke is wrong, so he is. That’s not a valid argument.
3. The author isn’t rejecting Mr. Klemke’s argument because he’s biased. They’re rejecting it because other people might not be.
4. The author’s conclusion is not relying on a sample of opinions at all. It’s entirely based on a hypothetical in which a customer has a bad experience independent of political differences.
5. While this is a possibility, it’s not a problem that the author did not address this. The author never claimed that every customer was aware of the disagreement.

Recap: The question begins with “Mr Klemke argues that the complaints recently lodged”. It is a Flawed Reasoning question. Learn more about LSAT Flaw questions in our guide to LSAT Logical Reasoning question types.