LSAT 31, Logical Reasoning I, Q19, LSATHacks

LR Question 19 Explanation, by LSATHacks

QUESTION TEXT: If the flowers Drew received today had been sent by…

QUESTION TYPE: Weaken 

CONCLUSION: The florist must have made a mistake. Drew should have received violets or a card, or else the flowers were meant for someone else.

REASONING: If the flowers were sent by someone who knows Drew well then that person would have known that Drew prefers Violets. Yet Drew got roses.

If the person did not know Drew well then they would have sent a signed card. But they didn’t. 

ANALYSIS: The argument ignores the possibility that someone who knew Drew well might have sent him roses even though they knew he preferred violets. That jerk.

You can ignore the card aspect. The argument clearly states that anyone who didn’t know Drew well would send a card. 

Since Drew didn’t get a card, we can rule out the possibility that someone who didn’t know him sent him flowers on purpose.

___________

1. But what do most people do when they’re sending flowers to Drew? Hopefully they send violets. 
2. CORRECT. If someone didn’t want to please Drew they might have knowingly sent him flowers that he wouldn’t like. 
3. But if they did then they would have sent a card. Yet there was no card.
4. This doesn’t mean that it is impossible for the florist to make a mistake. Maybe the florist has never delivered any flowers to Drew. 
5. Presumably those people also sent violets, unlike this mystery sender.

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