LSAT 144 | Section 3 | Logical Reasoning: Q18

LR Question 18 Explanation

QUESTION TEXT: Field studies, which have long been a staple…

QUESTION TYPE: Identify The Conclusion

CONCLUSION: Anthropologists overrate the usefulness of field studies.

REASONING: Living in a community affects that community, and anthropologists underestimate how much communities are affected.

ANALYSIS: The word ‘however’ is very important in arguments. It indicates two things:

1. Contrast with what was said before.
2. The author’s opinion.

Author’s opinion = the main conclusion. Usually, anyway. So typically, the phrase that follows “however” is the conclusion. That’s all you need to know for this type of question.

The first sentence provides context. The final sentence shows why anthropologists overrate field studies.

Note that the argument is not claiming that field studies aren’t helpful. The claim is that they are overrated: i.e. They’re not as helpful as they seem.

Note: Sometimes, the phrase after “however” is evidence for the conclusion. In those cases, the conclusion will directly follow, after a word like “so”.

E.g. “However, I don’t like the opera. So, I won’t be using the free tickets.”

___________

1. CORRECT. See the explanation above. “However” indicates the conclusion in this case.
2. This is just context that tells us about field studies.
3. Same as B. This is just context.
4. This is just a fact that shows anthropologists aren’t completely clueless.
5. This is the main premise that supports the conclusion. Because anthropologists underestimate their own impact, they therefore overestimate the usefulness of field studies.