LSAT 102 | Section 4 | Logical Reasoning: Q4

LR Question 4 Explanation

QUESTION TEXT: Columnist: The country is presently debating legislation that, if…

QUESTION TYPE: Flawed Reasoning

CONCLUSION: We must stop this legislation.

REASONING: Some shady people support the legislation.

ANALYSIS: This argument makes an ad hominem attack against the backers of the legislation. We shouldn’t care who supports a law. We need to look at what the law does, and debate its effects.

___________

1. Close, but not quite. We’re not told that terrorists and tax-cheats originated the legislation.
2. CORRECT. There are some questionable people who support the legislation. But that shouldn’t matter – we must debate the effects of the law. Every law will have some weirdos that support it.
3. We’re not told who would be hurt by the law.
4. We’re not told how many people support the law. And the argument is not making a claim against unpopular laws in general.
5. This simply didn’t happen. I’m not sure what to say about it. The stimulus never said that any of the bill’s supporters depend on manufacturers.

Recap: The question begins with “Columnist: The country is presently debating legislation that, if”. It is a Flawed Reasoning question. Learn more about LSAT Flaw questions in our guide to LSAT Logical Reasoning question types.