LSAT 134 | Section 1 | Logical Reasoning: Q1

LR Question 1 Explanation

QUESTION TEXT: Sometimes it is advisable for a medical patient to seek…

QUESTION TYPE: Identify the Conclusion

FACTS:

1. There are many reasons why getting a second doctor’s opinion can be awkward.
2. Sometimes it’s a good idea to get a second opinion.

ANALYSIS: The stimulus hasn’t told us when second opinions are needed. We only know they’re sometimes (a very vague word) a good idea. We also don’t know whether we should worry that our first doctor will get embarrassed.

The stimulus just tells us a few facts about doctors. Their vanity can be hurt, and they may feel professionally incompetent. And their patient might worry about embarrassing them. These are statements of fact. They’re not telling us what we should do. This distinction between normative statements of opinion (“what should I do?”) and positive statements of fact (“This is what will happen) is incredibly important on the LSAT.

Most of the wrong answers aren’t even true. The answers need to be true to be the conclusion.

___________

1. Many things in life are worth a little awkwardness; maybe we should get a second opinion even if it’s awkward.
2. The argument only said the process of getting a second opinion can be awkward. Maybe most doctors are professional about it and don’t get embarrassed.
3. CORRECT. The second sentence said getting a second opinion can be weird for patients, and the rest of the stimulus describes how doctors can find the process awkward.
4. The final sentence never says that the second doctor always feels uncomfortable. The second doctor might often see that the first doctor made an excellent diagnosis and confirm it.
5. This is true (“Often” is a synonym for “many”), but it’s not the main point. The stimulus also talked about how doctors feel awkward too.