LSAT 6 | Section 2 | Logical Reasoning: Q9

LR Question 9 Explanation

QUESTION TEXT: Mary Ann: Our country should, above all, be strong…

QUESTION TYPE: Necessary Assumption

CONCLUSION: We should judge countries by the morality of their actions rather than by their strength.

REASONING: Many countries have used strength to commit atrocities.

ANALYSIS: Inez proposes a different standard to judge whether a country is admirable. It’s hard to say whether she is right or wrong: both Inez and Mary Ann are making value judgments.

The word “presupposition” in the questions stem is just a fancy way of saying “necessary assumption.” It means something that Inez pre-supposes or takes as a given.

___________

1. Not necessarily. Inez could think that no country is good enough to meet that standard.
2. Inez doesn’t think is impossible. She just thinks morality is more important than strength.
3. CORRECT. If this isn’t true, then how could we judge countries’ moral actions?
4. This doesn’t affect Inez’s argument, whether it is true or not. Her argument doesn’t depend on what the citizens of each country think.
5. Inez seems to be against using strength to impose things on other countries.

Recap: The question begins with “Mary Ann: Our country should, above all, be strong”. It is a Necessary Assumption question. Learn how to master LSAT Necessary questions on the LSAT Logical Reasoning question types page.