LSAT 122 | Section 1 | Logical Reasoning: Q18

LR Question 18 Explanation

QUESTION TEXT: Health officials now recommend that people that people reduce…

QUESTION TYPE: Flawed Reasoning

CONCLUSION: There are still a lot of people “completely ignoring the health recommendation.”

REASONING: Steak restaurants are flourishing, even as the restaurant industry shrinks. (Therefore, a large number of people are eating steak, which goes against the health recommendation to limit red meat consumption.)

ANALYSIS: The stimulus presents fairly strong evidence that steakhouse visits are increasing. But the conclusion is very strong, saying that people are ignoring the recommendation (completely). What if people don’t eat any red meat, except on special occasions when they visit the steakhouse?

___________

1. This could explain the popularity of steakhouses, but the conclusion isn’t hurt: steak is still being eaten.
2. Actually, it assumes without warrant that people at steakhouses do need to reduce their intake of cholesterol.
3. There’s been no explanation given for the popularity of steak restaurants, and price isn’t mentioned. And if price were lower, that wouldn’t explain the overall decline in beef consumption.
4. The argument does not say that declining beef consumption has caused people to eat out less. That’s an absurd belief.
5. CORRECT. Yes. Simply eating steak at a restaurant says nothing about how much steak I eat in other circumstances. The general decline in beef consumption indicates people may be complying even if they go to a steakhouse more often.

Recap: The question begins with “Health officials now recommend that people that people reduce”. It is a Flawed Reasoning question. Learn more about LSAT Flaw questions in our guide to LSAT Logical Reasoning question types.