LSAT 114 | Section 1 | Logical Reasoning: Q7

LR Question 7 Explanation

QUESTION TEXT: Because people are generally better at detecting…

QUESTION TYPE: Principle – Parallel Reasoning

PRINCIPLE: You should have someone else check your work: they’ll be better at catching errors. It’s easier to spot someone else’s errors than to see your own.

ANALYSIS: Most of the wrong answers ignore the two elements from the stimulus:

1. We want to catch errors.
2. Someone else should do it, because they aren’t you. You can’t see your own mistakes.

Answer D is a straightforward application of the principle. Sometimes (but not often) the correct answer has a situation similar to the stimulus.

___________

1. This has nothing to do with having someone check your work. It’s just a statement about teachers’ math abilities.
2. This does talk about how it’s easier to understand our own views. But that’s the opposite of the stimulus: it was easier to spot someone else’s errors. And this has nothing to do with checking work.
3. This does talk about catching errors. But the stimulus talked about having someone else check your work, simply because they weren’t you. This is a different situation. 
4. CORRECT. This is exactly the same principle: someone else is more likely than you to catch your errors. 
5. This doesn’t talk about catching errors.