LSAT 109 | Section 4 | Logical Reasoning: Q6

LR Question 6 Explanation

QUESTION TEXT: A worker for a power company trims the branches of…

QUESTION TYPE: Flawed Parallel Reasoning

CONCLUSION: The worker thinks he doesn’t have to cut down the branches from one tree.

REASONING: The worker knows that the tree’s owners might get rid of the tree (at some point).

ANALYSIS: The worker has made two mistakes.

1. The owners might not cut down the tree.
2. The owners might only cut down the tree after the storm season.

If the owners did cut down the tree, on time, then the worker has made the right choice. Getting rid of the tree gets rid of the branches. But it’s risky to expect everything to work out that way.

___________

1. It sounds like the well inspector is making good use of limited resources.
2. The plumber could be making a good choice. Maybe improving the fixtures is more important than having the best quality piping. (Polyvinyl Chloride pipes might be just fine.)
3. CORRECT. This repeats the two flaws. First, the van might never be junked. Second, the van might be junked too late. In either case the brakes still need to be repaired.
4. The candidate makes a sensible choice. If they campaigned everywhere, they would lose votes.
5. It’s hard to say if the teacher is making a good choice or a bad choice. We need to know whether collective punishment of a class is a good idea.

Recap: The question begins with “A worker for a power company trims the branches of”. It is a Flawed Parallel Reasoning question. Learn more about LSAT Flawed Parallel questions in our guide to LSAT Logical Reasoning question types.