LSAT 113 | Section 3 | Logical Reasoning: Q23

LR Question 23 Explanation

QUESTION TEXT: Town councillor: The only reason for the town to…

QUESTION TYPE: Parallel Reasoning

CONCLUSION: We should not pass an ordinance to prohibit skateboarding in the park (even though skateboarding in the park is dangerous).

REASONING: The only reason to pass an ordinance would be to protect the children from danger. But if we ban skateboarding in the park then they will do something more dangerous (skateboard in the street.)

ANALYSIS: This is a pretty good argument. It argues that passing an ordinance would defeat the purpose of passing an ordinance.

The answer choices are very, very long. Make sure you know what you’re looking for before diving in: you need to find something that shouldn’t be done because it will be self-defeating.

___________

1. This does not conclude that environmental reviews are self-defeating. 
2. CORRECT. Pesticides prevent some aphids. But they kill wasps. That allows pesticide resistant bugs to do even more damage than the aphids. So pesticides actually hurt crops. 
3. This just shows that the reason for smallpox vaccination has disappeared. It doesn’t say that the vaccine actually causes more smallpox.
4. This just shows that sealers are not needed. They wouldn’t actually do any harm though.
5. Traffic patterns would actually work well for their intended purpose (increasing speed.) They are undesirable for other reasons.