LSAT 159 | Section 3 | Logical Reasoning: Q15

LR Question 15 Explanation

QUESTION TEXT: Schmidt: In enforcing township rules on how homeowners maintain …

QUESTION TYPE: Flawed Reasoning

ARGUMENTS: SCHMIDT’S ARGUMENT: It’s wrong to encourage residents to report neighbor violations of township rules, because it fosters bad feelings and spite.

CHANDHA’S ARGUMENT: It’s not a mistake. Without rules, one homeowner could ruin the reputation of the whole neighborhood.

ANALYSIS: Schmidt’s point is narrow. He’s not against the rules, he’s just against the policy of having neighbors report each other. He says that method of enforcement causes resentment and spite.

Chandha, however, defends something broader: the importance of having property rules at all. That misses the mark because Schmidt never said the rules shouldn’t exist. He only questioned how they’re enforced.

So Chandha is attacking the wrong thing. She treats Schmidt’s criticism of a certain part of the rules as if it were a criticism of the rules overall.

___________

1. CORRECT. This is exactly what’s happening. Chandha defends the existence of the rules instead of addressing Schmidt’s concern about enforcement.
2. Chandha doesn’t question Schmidt’s motives. She just misunderstands what he’s criticizing.
   Example of flaw: Schmidt only says neighbors shouldn’t report on each other because he doesn’t follow the rules himself.
3. Chandha never claims Schmidt is talking about detailed provisions of the rules.
   Example of flaw: Schmidt says enforcing property rules creates resentment, but he’s wrong. The rule requiring lawns to be under 6 inches is perfectly reasonable, and the trash bin rule is too.
4. No one makes this kind of assumption in the exchange.
   Example of flaw: Schmidt says reporting leads to bad feelings, so neighbors will always resent each other when they file complaints.
5. Schmidt talks about bad feelings caused by enforcement methods, but Chandha doesn’t even mention that topic. That’s the entire point she misses.
   Example of flaw: Schmidt thinks encouraging people to report violations causes bad feelings, but really, people only report violations because they already dislike their neighbors.