LSAT 4 | Section 1 | Logical Reasoning: Q8

LR Question 8 Explanation

QUESTION TEXT: Political theorist: The chief foundation of all governments…

QUESTION TYPE: Flawed Reasoning

CONCLUSION: If the police are well paid, the legal system will be good.

REASONING: If the police are not well paid, the legal system will be bad.

ANALYSIS: The police being well paid is a necessary condition for the legal system being good. The conclusion treats it as a sufficient condition.

On these questions, you should figure that out, and then look for the right answer. Don’t waste time staring at the wrong answer choices without knowing what you’re looking for.

___________

1. The argument didn’t need to establish this. Even if just a few countries had poorly paid police forces the argument could still be correct as long as all of those countries also had bad legal systems.
2. The argument claimed that a poorly paid police force would lead to a bad legal system. This contradicts the argument.
3. The argument didn’t talk about a police force being effective or not.
4. CORRECT. Yes. The argument treats a well paid police force as a sufficient assumption. We only have evidence that it is a necessary condition for a good legal system.
5. The argument didn’t claim that a good legal system is sufficient for good government. It claimed it was necessary.

Recap: The question begins with “Political theorist: The chief foundation of all governments”. It is a Flawed Reasoning question. Learn more about LSAT Flaw questions in our guide to LSAT Logical Reasoning question types.