LSAT 3 | Section 2 | Logical Reasoning: Q25

LR Question 25 Explanation

QUESTION TEXT: The public in the United States has in the past been…

QUESTION TYPE: Flawed Reasoning

CONCLUSION: It is doubtful the public can be persuaded to support an “adequate” defense budget.

REASONING: In the past, the public was persuaded to support a very large defense budget due to the threat of the Eastern Bloc. Now that threat is gone.

ANALYSIS: This is a bad argument. If a major threat has disappeared then presumably the defense budget should shrink to reflect the change in circumstances.

We have strong reason to believe the public would no longer accept the substantial defense budgets of the Cold War. But we have no reason to believe the public would not accept a smaller but still adequate defense budget for the new era of peace.

___________

1. The stimulus mentions conditioning public opinion but that is not the same thing as manipulation. In any case the stimulus assumes that the public will not continue to hold the same opinions.
2. The perceived threat of the cold war is definitely causally connected with public support for the defense budget.
3. This is not an example of circular reasoning. The conclusion is supported by the fact that the Cold War is over.
4. The reason for the judgment is that the Cold War is over. This makes the public less likely to support a large defense budget.
5. CORRECT. Indeed. An adequate defense budget during the Cold War may be much too large during a time of peace. It is quite likely that the smaller budget that the public will support will still be “adequate.”

Recap: The question begins with “The public in the United States has in the past been”. It is a Flawed Reasoning question. Learn how to master LSAT Flaw questions on the LSAT Logical Reasoning question types page.