LSAT 110 | Section 4 | Reading Comprehension: Q8

RC Question 8 Explanation

DISCUSSION: The quotation has to be read in context. The goddess has told Agamemnon that only a sacrifice will bring winds (lines 45-46). So even though Agamemnon says “if” (a sufficient condition), he means ‘only’ (a necessary condition).

Agamemnon could save his daughter. But if he truly wants victory, he must kill her.

___________

1. Agamemnon doesn’t want to evade battle. He wants to win his battle. 
2. Close, but Agamemnon is saying it’s okay to desire his daughter’s death. He already thinks it’s okay to desire victory. 
3. CORRECT. The goddess did say that only a sacrifice could get him to battle. So Agamemnon argues he is allowed to wish his daughter dead. 
4. Not quite. Agamemnon determined the sacrifice would bring victory, based on what Artemis told him. He didn’t figure it out alone.
5. The goddess didn’t order Agamemnon to kill his daughter. She said that the sacrifice was the only way to make the winds blow. But Agamemnon did have a choice. He could simply have given up on winning the battle.