LSAT 116 | Section 3 | Logical Reasoning: Q14

LR Question 14 Explanation

QUESTION TEXT: Social critic: The operas composed by Bizet amd Verdi are…

QUESTION TYPE: Complete the Argument

ANALYSIS: The stimulus is arguing against the critics of Bizet and Verdi. The critics say that their operas have reinforced societal stereotypes about women.

The social critic responds that virtually no one in contemporary society has heard of these operas. The logical conclusion is that even if they did reinforce stereotypes, they can’t have had much of an effect if few people have seen these operas.

___________

1. The social critic is arguing against the people who claim this.
2. That is likely true, but the portrayal of women in the operas could still reinforce modern stereotypes.
3. CORRECT. This is where the argument is leading. The social critic’s reasoning in the stimulus minimizes the impact the operas could have by saying that few people have heard of them.
4. This is about opera in general, while the critic’s argument refers to two specific operas.
5. This is not the critic’s argument, which is much more specific in saying that few people have been exposed to the two operas in question. This broad statement is not supported by the argument.

Recap: The question begins with “Social critic: The operas composed by Bizet amd Verdi are”. It is a Complete the Argument question. Learn more about LSAT Complete the Argument questions in our guide to LSAT Logical Reasoning question types.