LSAT 103 | Section 2 | Logical Reasoning: Q21

LR Question 21 Explanation

QUESTION TEXT: Attorney for Ziegler: My client continued to do…

QUESTION TYPE: Flawed Reasoning

CONCLUSION: Ziegler was insane when he shot the victim.

REASONING: Ziegler was sane after the crime, but the other side has presented no evidence that Ziegler was sane at the time of the crime.

ANALYSIS: There are two flaws. First, you usually should have some actual evidence that your client is insane. It’s generally not up to the prosecutor to prove that an accused was sane. Sanity is the norm, and insanity is abnormal.

Second, the fact that Ziegler was sane after the crime is pretty strong evidence that he was sane during the crime too. Most people don’t dip into insanity while committing a crime and then conveniently return to sanity when it’s time to get paid for consulting.

Though I must admit, the idea of paying for an insane consultant is amusing. Maybe branding myself as

“The World’s Best And Only Insane LSAT Tutor”

would give me the edge needed to compete in a crowded marketplace.

___________

1. We don’t know if Ziegler is a well-educated professional. We have no idea what type of consultant he is.
2. The attorney makes the opposite mistake: he concludes that Ziegler was insane because there’s no evidence he was sane.
3. The attorney implies that the other side has presented evidence that Ziegler was sane while doing consulting work. Otherwise he wouldn’t have said “But”. In any case, it doesn’t make much difference whether Ziegler was an insane consultant.
4. The lawyer didn’t talk about moral responsibility. He mentions insanity because Ziegler might not go to jail if he was insane.
5. CORRECT. This is a big flaw. Most people don’t conveniently become insane while committing crimes, then revert to sanity when it’s time to get paid for consulting.

Recap: The question begins with “Attorney for Ziegler: My client continued to do”. It is a Flawed Reasoning question. Learn how to master LSAT Flaw questions on the LSAT Logical Reasoning question types page.