LSAT 107 | Section 1 | Logical Reasoning: Q22

LR Question 22 Explanation

QUESTION TEXT: The government claims that the country’s nuclear power plants…

QUESTION TYPE: Principle – Strengthen

FACTS:

1. The government claims that the nuclear industry poses no risk of accident.
2. Yet the government is limiting the nuclear industry’s liability in case of accident.
3. Therefore there is a risk of accident and the public is correct to be worried.

ANALYSIS: This is already a fairly reasonable argument. The government says there is no risk of harm from a nuclear accident. But also the government is limiting the nuclear industry’s requirement to pay people for damages IF there is a nuclear accident.

That’s inconsistent. If harm is impossible, then there’s no need to limit liability, as there never will be an accident. So, we have two possibilities:

• The government is right, there is no risk. (And therefore, it is pointless to limit liability), or
• The government is wrong, there is risk. (And therefore, limiting liability has some possible effect)

We don’t know which version is correct. It could be that there is no risk and so unlimited liability won’t affect anything. Governments sometimes have useless programs. On the other hand, there could be a real danger and the government is lying. So, we need to find something that shows the danger is real.

___________

1. The government claimed that the power plants were safe, not unsafe.
2. No one controls the event of an accident and no one stands to benefit financially. The nuclear industry only stands to lose financially. 
3. This would show that the limited liability might harm the public if we already knew the reactor was unsafe. But we don’t. The reactors might well be safe whether or not the nuclear industry has a financial interest in them staying safe. 
4. CORRECT. The government doesn’t act unless there is a danger. Since the government did act, then there is a danger. This means the government sometimes lies, since they say there is no danger. 
5. This doesn’t tell us if a danger actually exists.