LSAT 157 | Section 2 | Logical Reasoning: Q14

LR Question 14 Explanation

QUESTION TEXT: Politician: Our public libraries are open only on weekdays…

QUESTION TYPE: Principle

CONCLUSION: No new taxes supporting the library system should be approved unless the library hours are changed to better suit taxpayers and their families.

REASONING: The libraries are open at times when most children are at school and adults are at work, so there is not much opportunity to use them.

ANALYSIS: Here, the politician leaps from “people don’t have opportunity to use them” to “we should not approve any new taxes supporting the library system unless the hours are changed”. We can prephrase the answer based on the politician’s pattern of reasoning. It’s likely that the politician thinks taxes should only be approved for services that people can effectively make use of.

___________

1. The politician probably agrees with this, but it doesn’t justify their reasoning. The politician’s conclusion isn’t just that the library should be more convenient, it’s that no new taxes should be approved unless the hours are changed.
2. This is similar to what we want, but it’s the inverse. The politician is saying “no taxes unless the hours suit the taxpayers”. This answer says “if the hours suit the taxpayers, approve the taxes”. There’s a difference there that’s important to spot.
3. This is also different from the politician’s principle. This answer is making a judgment on who should be paying taxes, but we are looking for a principle that makes tax approval conditional on the accessibility of the service.
4. The politician isn’t looking for the best way to increase usage of the libraries. Their conclusion is about which taxes should be approved.
5. CORRECT. This matches the politician’s reasoning perfectly. No new taxes should be approved if the service isn’t conveniently accessible.

Recap: The question begins with “Politician: Our public libraries are open only on weekdays”. It is a Principle question. Learn more about LSAT Principle questions in our guide to LSAT Logical Reasoning question types.