LSAT 2 | Section 2 | Logical Reasoning: Q19

LR Question 19 Explanation

QUESTION TEXT: How do the airlines expect to prevent commercial plane…

QUESTION TYPE: Necessary Assumption

CONCLUSION: Airlines should rethink their approach to reducing commercial crashes.

REASONING: Pilot error contributes to two-thirds of all commercial plane crashes. Airlines have increased their classroom training time for pilots, but it is unrealistic for such programs to compensate for pilots’ lack of actual flying time.

ANALYSIS: This argument is assuming that lack of actual flying time contributes to commercial plane crashes. If it doesn’t then perhaps the training programs will be effective.

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1. This is tempting, but it is not necessary that pilot errors can be eliminated. It is only necessary that they can be reduced.
2. This isn’t necessary. Once pilots have started their careers they will already have actual flight time. The stimulus’ argument seems aimed at training programs for new pilots.
3. A very difficult answer choice. Technically the goal of the training program is to reduce the human contribution to airplane crashes. The crashes could still occur! It’s just that there will be less of a human contribution. So it’s only necessary that the human contribution will be decreased. It isn’t necessary that the number of crashes will be decreased.
4. CORRECT. If lack of actual flying time isn’t an important contributor to pilot error, then this argument becomes much weaker.
5. The argument does not say they aren’t important. It only says that flying time is also important, and is being neglected.

Recap: The question begins with “How do the airlines expect to prevent commercial plane”. It is a Necessary Assumption question. Learn how to master LSAT Necessary questions on the LSAT Logical Reasoning question types page.