LSAT 126 | Section 4 | Logical Reasoning: Q20

LR Question 20 Explanation

QUESTION TEXT: People who have specialized knowledge about a scientific…

QUESTION TYPE: Weaken

CONCLUSION: Trial by jury is not appropriate where a scientific or technical matter is at issue.

REASONING: Experts with knowledge on these matters are excluded from juries.

ANALYSIS: This argument sounds compelling: juries will only be composed of people who do not understand the issues involved.

To weaken the argument, we must either show that removing experts does not reduce fairness, or that the trials will still be fair despite the absence of experts.

___________

1. This strengthens the argument, showing that jurors will find technical trials hard to understand.
2. CORRECT. This shows there is good reason to remove experts from jury pools, and it weakens the argument. Trials will be fairer without them.
3. The conclusion is about whether jury trials are unfair, not whether alternative methods such as arbitration are a good idea.
4. This doesn’t really tell us much. Will that tendency help non-technical jurors understand, or will it confuse them?
5. We’re talking about experts serving on juries. This answer choice is talking about them serving as witnesses.

Recap: The question begins with “People who have specialized knowledge about a scientific”. It is a Weaken question. Learn more about LSAT Weaken questions in our guide to LSAT Logical Reasoning question types.