LSAT 117 | Section 3 | Logical Reasoning: Q13

LR Question 13 Explanation

QUESTION TEXT: City council member: Despite the city’s desperate need to exploit…

QUESTION TYPE: Main Conclusion

CONCLUSION: The Mayor is sacrificing the city’s interests to his personal interests.

REASONING: The Mayor’s opposition to the real estate tax is biased: he and his family have significant real estate investments.

ANALYSIS: The argument’s main point is twofold:

1. The mayor has a personal interest in blocking the plan.
2. The mayor is hurting the city by blocking the plan.

This isn’t a good argument. It presents no evidence that the mayor is wrong and that the plan is actually a good idea. It’s possible the proposal hurts both the mayor and the city.

___________

1. The councilor’s argument is aimed at the mayor. The councilor might think that there is some other plan that is better but that this plan is good enough.
2. The councilor thinks this is true but it isn’t his main point.
3. CORRECT. The councilor’s entire argument supports the idea that the Mayor’s opposition is wrong and self-interested. 
4. The councilor implies that he thinks this is true. But his main point is about the mayor.
5. This is part of it, but only part. The main point is that the mayor has a strong interest in blocking the legislation and that blocking the legislation is against the best interests of the city.