LSAT 5 | Section 1 | Logical Reasoning: Q20

LR Question 20 Explanation

QUESTION TEXT: Experienced gardeners advise against planting snap…

QUESTION TYPE: Parallel Reasoning

CONCLUSION: The snap peas planted in May are unlikely to experience crop failure despite the experts’ warning not to plant after late April.

REASONING: The reason the experts warn against late planting is that peas do not do well in warm weather. But this year the weather was unusually cool all the way into late June.

ANALYSIS: This is a good argument. The conclusion is appropriately hedged: the peas are only “unlikely” to fail.

The structure is that the argument looks at the reason behind a warning. It concludes that things will likely be ok because the reason for the warning isn’t present in this specific case.

___________

1. This is a bad argument. It is only “likely” that the tomatoes will taste worse. The experts’ advice could still be good.
2. CORRECT. This is a good argument, and mirrors the structure. It looks at the reason behind the warning, and concludes that there likely won’t be a problem, given the circumstances.
3. We can’t be sure. Maybe impatiens would do well even without much moisture. Or maybe all flowers would do as poorly as impatiens if they are planted under maple.
4. This just tells us about the experts’ advice. We’re not faced with a dilemma of whether to listen in a specific case.
5. Same as D. This doesn’t present any dilemma.

Recap: The question begins with “Experienced gardeners advise against planting snap”. It is a Parallel Reasoning question. Learn more about LSAT Parallel questions in our guide to LSAT Logical Reasoning question types.