LSAT 43, Logical Reasoning I, Q21, LSATHacks

LR Question 21 Explanation, by LSATHacks

QUESTION TEXT: Curator: A magazine recently ran a very misleading story on…

QUESTION TYPE: Principle – Strengthen

CONCLUSION: The article quoting three friends was misleading.

ANALYSIS: Sample size and bias is often important on the LSAT.

Some factors that help make for a good sample are whether it is: large, random, and representative (i.e. with members from all relevant groups).

This sample is small and non-random (three friends).

___________

1. The article did not suggest the residents were experts.
2. The curator does not give us any evidence the population was evenly divided.
3. This is tempting, but the curator did not actually give evidence that their opinions are not widely held. Also, widely held is not a precise standard, and could be well less than a majority.
4. The article did not mention that three were close friends. And it was explicit that they agreed with each other.
5. CORRECT. This would do it. The article did present a potentially non-representative sample (a group of friends), and implied that they represented public opinion.

Recap: The question begins with “Curator: A magazine recently ran a very misleading story on”. It is a Principle Justify question. Learn how to master LSAT Principle Justify questions on the LSAT Logical Reasoning question types page.

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