LSAT 3 | Section 4 | Logical Reasoning: Q23

LR Question 23 Explanation

QUESTION TEXT: In a new police program, automobile owners in some…

QUESTION TYPE: Most Helpful to Know

ANALYSIS: The cars have a lower rate of theft when they have decals. Those must be pretty powerful decals.

There are many alternative explanations for most situations. Perhaps people who participate in the police program take other precautions. That’s one thing that would be helpful to know.

If would also be helpful to know if there was also a lower rate of theft for those cars before their owners started to participate in the decal program. Or if all of the cars in question tended to be a specific type of car.

___________

1. CORRECT. People who put decals on their cars are cautious. They might also buy powerful locks, or a lo-jack, or a car alarm, etc. Maybe it is those other factors that reduce the rate of theft.
2. Since the rate (i.e. Percentage) has been lowered it doesn’t matter in how many locations the program is operating. When all we have is a rate the total number is irrelevant.
3. “Sometimes?” That is very vague. I’m sure every neighborhood “sometimes” has cars stolen.
4. Whether or not police harass innocent drivers is irrelevant to explaining the rate of theft.
5. The theft rate for cars with decals in each neighborhood is being compared to the theft rate of other cars in the same neighborhood. Since the comparison is entirely within the neighborhood it doesn’t matter if the neighborhood is representative of a typical neighborhood.

Recap: The question begins with “In a new police program, automobile owners in some”. It is a Paradox question. Learn how to master LSAT Paradox questions on the LSAT Logical Reasoning question types page.