LSAT 156 | Section 4 | Logical Reasoning: Q17

LR Question 17 Explanation

QUESTION TEXT: Different cultures have independently reached the conclusion …

QUESTION TYPE: Parallel Reasoning

CONCLUSION: We should accept a claim as true unless strong contrary evidence appears.

REASONING: Multiple independent sources have reached the same conclusion.

ANALYSIS: The structure is:
independent agreement → treat the claim as true (unless contradicted)

The key idea is that independent convergence gives us reason to accept a claim, at least provisionally. It’s not proving the claim with direct evidence—it’s relying on the fact that different sources arrived at the same conclusion on their own.

So the right answer has to mirror that exact pattern: multiple independent judgments leading to a default acceptance of a claim unless there’s evidence against it.

___________

1. CORRECT. Multiple independent engineers agree the bridge is safe, so we accept that conclusion unless evidence shows otherwise—same structure.
2. This introduces comparison (weight training vs other exercise), which is not part of the original reasoning.
3. This depends on whether the scientists’ assumptions are valid, not on independent agreement leading to default acceptance.
4. This uses independent agreement to predict success, not to justify accepting a claim as true.
5. This is flawed reasoning. Disagreement does not justify assuming the opposite (that Janet is healthy).