LSAT 3 | Section 4 | Logical Reasoning: Q17

LR Question 17 Explanation

QUESTION TEXT: In a bureaucracy, all decisions are arrived at by a process…

QUESTION TYPE: Sufficient Assumption

CONCLUSION: Bureaucracies will never undertake risky projects.

REASONING: In bureaucracies decisions are always made by groups and never individuals.

ANALYSIS: With sufficient assumption questions we must connect the premise to the conclusion to make a good argument.

If we assume that groups never take risky decisions then it must be true that bureaucracies will never undertake risky projects (because all bureaucratic decisions are made by groups.)

___________

1. If this is true then according to the argument bureaucracies will never undertake any project because they all involve risk. It’s an additional premise which would combine with the conclusion; it doesn’t establish the conclusion.
2. All bureaucratic decisions are made by groups. It is irrelevant how decisive individuals are.
3. This doesn’t tell us that groups won’t take risks.
4. CORRECT. This works. Bureaucracies won’t make any risky decisions if only individuals can make risky decisions. All bureaucratic decisions are group decisions.
5. This does not mean that groups never take risks.

Recap: The question begins with “In a bureaucracy, all decisions are arrived at by a process”. It is a Sufficient Assumption question. Learn how to master LSAT Sufficient questions on the LSAT Logical Reasoning question types page.