LSAT 23 | Section 3 | Logical Reasoning: Q17

LR Question 17 Explanation

QUESTION TEXT: Magazine article: Punishment for crimes is justified…

QUESTION TYPE: Flawed Reasoning

CONCLUSION: Punishment is never justified.

REASONING: Punishment is justified if it is a deterrent (D ➞ J). But punishment is never a deterrent.

ANALYSIS: Deterrence is sufficient to justify punishment. But there might be other reasons that punishment is justified.

Getting rid of a sufficient condition can’t prove that the necessary condition never happens. There can be multiple ways to reach a necessary condition.

___________

1. We don’t know anything about the data, so why should we think it is biased?
2. Punishment always means the same thing: a penalty.
3. CORRECT. Deterrence is enough to justify punishment, but it might not be the only way to justify it. Maybe revenge or public safety are good enough reasons too.
4. The argument says we shouldn’t punish. If we don’t punish anyone, then we won’t mistakenly punish the innocent.
5. An example would be: If I said most Americans were rich, and that therefore most people in a certain State were rich. I’m being too precise.

Recap: The question begins with “Magazine article: Punishment for crimes is justified”. It is a Flawed Reasoning question. Learn how to master LSAT Flaw questions on the LSAT Logical Reasoning question types page.