LSAT 126 | Section 4 | Logical Reasoning: Q16

LR Question 16 Explanation

QUESTION TEXT: There are two kinds of horror stories: those that describe…

QUESTION TYPE: Must be True

PARADOX: There are two kinds of horror stories:

1. Horror stories about monstrous beasts: In some of these, the monster symbolizes a psychological disturbance in the protagonist.
2. Horror stories involving a mad scientist: These typically (most of the time) express the author’s skepticism about science.

Both types of stories: i. describe violations of the laws of nature; ii. are intended to produce dread in the reader.

ANALYSIS: There aren’t many conclusions we can draw here. We can combine what is true of all horror stories with what we know about the subtypes. For example:

Some stories about monstrous beasts also: i. describe violations of the laws of nature; ii. are intended to produce dread in the reader.

Or

Most horror stories involving a mad scientist also: i. describe violations of the laws of nature; ii. are intended to produce dread in the reader.

___________

1. No. We only know that this is true for those horror stories about monstrous beasts. The stimulus tells us nothing about other descriptions of monstrous beasts (in other books, on Wikipedia, etc.)
2. That’s true of some descriptions of violations of the laws of nature (those in horror stories). We have no idea if it’s true of all such descriptions.
3. We only know this is true of some monster stories, not of all horror stories.
4. Careful, this is referring to most stories about mad scientists, not most horror stories about mad scientists. We only know about the latter.
5. CORRECT. This is tricky, but correct. Some monster stories employ symbolism, though it’s mentioned indirectly: “the monster symbolizes a psychological….” And all horror stories describe violations of the laws of nature, include those with monster symbolism.

Recap: The question begins with “There are two kinds of horror stories: those that describe”. It is a Must be True question. Learn more about LSAT MBT questions in our guide to LSAT Logical Reasoning question types.