LSAT 120 | Section 4 | Logical Reasoning: Q23

LR Question 23 Explanation

QUESTION TEXT: A television manufacturing plant has a total of 1,000 workers…

QUESTION TYPE: Flawed Reasoning

CONCLUSION: Ten workers could be fired without any loss in production.

REASONING: On average, ten employees are missing every day and there is no drop in production.

ANALYSIS: Unless the same ten workers are absent every day, there will still be around ten workers missing once ten are fired. Plant staff on average days will be 980, rather than 990. This might cause a drop in productivity.

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1. Actually, the argument is assuming this will be true and that the remaining workers will be slightly more productive.
2. CORRECT. Bingo. If the absentee rate doesn’t fall, the plant will be short 20 of workers on average.
3. The argument’s claim is restricted to days when exactly 10 workers are absent. The problem is that it assumes there will be no more absences once the workers are fired.
4. I doubt the argument intended that crucial workers are the ones who should be fired.
5. That goes too far. The argument’s author would surely agree the plant would lose production if 950 workers were absent.

Recap: The question begins with “A television manufacturing plant has a total of 1,000 workers”. It is a Flawed Reasoning question. Learn how to master LSAT Flaw questions on the LSAT Logical Reasoning question types page.