LSAT 155 | Section 2 | Logical Reasoning: Q2

LR Question 2 Explanation

QUESTION TEXT: Javier: Government workers are paid higher hourly wages than…

QUESTION TYPE: Point at Issue

ARGUMENTS: Javier says that the government could save money by hiring private contractors instead of government employees, since government employees are generally paid more than private employees.

Mykayla says that, on average, the government pays more when it hires private contractors than it pays for comparable public employees.

ANALYSIS: Mykayla’s point is that hiring private contractors actually costs more than paying public employees. This contrasts Javier’s claim that the government could save money by hiring private contractors. So the point at issue is whether hiring private contractors would save the government money.

___________

1. Neither Javier nor Mykayla has addressed the number of employees on the government payroll. The point of issue will be something they both address.
2. CORRECT. Javier thinks private contractors could save the government money, while Mykayla says it actually costs more.
3. This one looks appealing – it’s certainly something that Javier says. But Mykayla doesn’t say that this is wrong. She doesn’t address private sector employees, just contractors that were paid by the government.
4. They don’t disagree about whether private contractors could do these jobs – it’s about whether they could do them for less money.
5. Neither Javier or Mykayla even bring up the total amounts spent on contractors or government employees, so it can’t be the point at issue.

Recap: The question begins with “Javier: Government workers are paid higher hourly wages than”. It is a Point at Issue question. Learn more about LSAT Point at Issue questions in our guide to LSAT Logical Reasoning question types.