LSAT 116 | Section 2 | Logical Reasoning: Q14

LR Question 14 Explanation

QUESTION TEXT: Resident: Residents of this locale should not consider their…

QUESTION TYPE: Strengthen

CONCLUSION: Residents should not consider the loss of farming as a way of life as a tragedy.

REASONING: We have a good economy, high wages, and many more jobs now thanks to high tech.

ANALYSIS: It seems like a decent argument, so try to think of weaknesses. Is it possible the residents would value something besides money?

___________

1. This would help explain the transition, but would not explain why the residents should be happy about it. They can’t farm anymore…
2. We’re concerned with the residents’ happiness, not national security. Only choose an answer choice that addresses an issue raised in the conclusion.
3. CORRECT. This works. It eliminates the possibility that residents might simply prefer to be farmers, even if they were poorer.
4. We already know the area is richer. Further, “many” is not useful in this case. 30 out of 10,000 people can be “many,” depending on the context.
5. This weakens the argument, telling us that economic wealth often doesn’t compensate for the loss of a way of life. Note that this could be the right answer to a different question stem.

Recap: The question begins with “Resident: Residents of this locale should not consider their”. It is a Strengthen question. Learn more about LSAT Strengthen questions in our guide to LSAT Logical Reasoning question types.