LSAT 134 | Section 3 | Logical Reasoning: Q12

LR Question 12 Explanation

QUESTION TEXT: Some gardening books published by Garden Path Press…

QUESTION TYPE: Necessary Assumption

CONCLUSION: Some of Garden Path’s books are bad.

REASONING: A good gardening book must explain the basics of composting. Some of Garden Path’s books don’t explain hot and cold composting.

ANALYSIS: Are hot and cold composting part of the basics of composting? If not, then this argument is worthless. It hasn’t given any other evidence to show that Garden Path’s books don’t explain the basics.

___________

1. This doesn’t tell us anything about Garden Path’s books. Also, the conclusion was that the books were flawed. This says some books are not flawed. This wouldn’t help even if it were talking about Garden Path’s books.
2. This tells us what gardeners should do, but it doesn’t tell us whether Garden Path writes good books.
3. CORRECT. If you can explain basic composting without mentioning hot and cold composting, then maybe Garden Path’s books are good.
4. So? I could say that everyone who understands the theory of relativity understands basic math. But that doesn’t mean relativity is part of basic math!
   You need the basics to understand advanced material, but that doesn’t mean advanced material (like hot and cold composting) is part of the basics.
5. Imagine a gardening book that explained the basics of composting, but also gave horrible paper cuts to anyone that held it. That’s not a very good book! My examples negates answer E, but the negation doesn’t weaken the argument. The argument didn’t say that all books that explained basic composting were good.