LSAT 159 | Section 3 | Logical Reasoning: Q24

LR Question 24 Explanation

QUESTION TEXT: Principle: An author of an article that has appeared in a magazine …

QUESTION TYPE: Principle – Application

PRINCIPLE: If you’ve written an article in a magazine, you should be allowed to respond to criticism in that same magazine if: (1) the criticism was published in that same magazine, or (2) the criticism is unfair.

APPLICATION: McFinton should be allowed to publish a response to Wallace’s criticism in Speculator’s Digest.

ANALYSIS: There’s a few things that we need in order to reach the application that McFinton should be allowed to respond.

First, McFinton’s article must have been written in Speculator’s Digest (since that’s where he’s asking to respond).

Second, one of the two conditions must be met for Wallace’s criticism:

1. He wrote it in Speculator’s Digest, or
2. It was unfair.

The correct answer choice must justify these two criteria.

___________

1. This takes care of the first criteria, but it doesn’t tell us anything about Wallace’s criticism. So it leaves the second one unknown.
2. This does the opposite of A. It takes care of the second criteria, but we still don’t know if McFinton’s essay ever appeared in SD. The principle only grants the right to respond in a magazine where your original article appeared.
3. This fulfills the first criteria, but it doesn’t tell us whether Wallace’s criticism meets one of the two conditions in the second criteria.
4. CORRECT. McFinton’s article appeared in SD, and Wallace’s criticism did too. That fulfills both criteria, so the principle can be applied.
5. This meets both conditions in the second criteria, but we’re still not told whether McFinton’s essay appeared in SD, which is required by the principle to respond there.