LSAT 19, Logical Reasoning I, Q14, LSATHacks

LR Question 14 Explanation, by LSATHacks

QUESTION TEXT: Herbalist: Many of my customers find that their…

QUESTION TYPE: Flawed Reasoning

CONCLUSION: There’s no harm in trying the herb juice.

REASONING: Doctors have a conflict of interest. They want to secure their monopoly.

ANALYSIS: Sure, the doctors may have an incentive to badmouth herbs. But the herbalist surely also has an incentive to say her herb juice is good. She has a conflict of interest too.

And just because someone has a conflict of interest doesn’t mean they’re wrong. So the doctors could be right and the herb juice could be harmful. The herbalist hasn’t given any evidence the herbs present no harm.

___________

1. The herbalist doesn’t say bad things will happen if you don’t believe her.
2. There’s no inconsistency. The herbalist is a hypocrite (because she has a conflict of interest too) but there’s no inconsistency in her argument.
3. CORRECT. The herbalist attacks the doctors, rather than their reasoning.
4. There’s no circular reasoning. The herbalist does give a reason the doctors might be wrong: they are trying to preserve their monopoly.
5. The herbalist didn’t say that the juice would necessarily help. They just said that it wouldn’t hurt. (So there’s no result claimed.)

Recap: The question begins with “Herbalist: Many of my customers find that their”. It is a Flawed Reasoning question. Learn more about LSAT Flaw questions in our guide to LSAT Logical Reasoning question types.

Hi, I'm Graeme Blake

Founder of LSAThacks; I scored a 177 on the LSAT.

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