LSAT 134 | Section 3 | Logical Reasoning: Q7

LR Question 7 Explanation

QUESTION TEXT: Tanner: The public should demand political debates…

QUESTION TYPE: Point At Issue

ARGUMENTS: Tanner says political debates help voters decide which politician would do the best job.

Saldana says that debates just help the candidate who is the better debater. She thinks debates aren’t a good indicator of who is the best candidate.

ANALYSIS: The two of them disagree over whether debates are useful at letting us know who is the best candidate. Tanner says yes and Saldana says no.

___________

1. Neither of them said how much of a benefit a debate has for the winner. Maybe the underlying political trends are much more important.
2. CORRECT. Tanner thinks this is true, that’s why he thinks voters should ask for debates. Saldana argues that debates just help smooth talkers.
3. Nobody says this; it’s a pretty extreme statement. Debating (i.e. persuasion) skills can help almost anyone do their job.
4. Tanner doesn’t even mention debating skills, so he can’t agree or disagree. He might not agree debates are always won by the person with the best debating skills. (A skilled Democratic debater would probably lose a debate held at a Republican convention, and vice-versa)
5. Neither of them says how much effect debates have.