LSAT 141 | Section 2 | Logical Reasoning: Q1

LR Question 1 Explanation

QUESTION TEXT: Editorial: The city has chosen a contractor to upgrade…

QUESTION TYPE: Necessary Assumption

CONCLUSION: 60% of the contractor’s technicians are unqualified.

REASONING: 60% of the contractor’s technicians are not certified by the Heating Technicians Association.

ANALYSIS: This argument is assuming that only those who are certified are qualified.

On necessary assumption questions the flaw is often obvious if you isolate the conclusion and reasoning. There’s usually a difference in terms.

___________

1. Pay doesn’t matter. The argument didn’t even mention pay.
   Negation: Certified technicians do not receive higher pay than uncertified technicians.
2. It doesn’t matter if some other contractors are worse. It only matter if some other technicians are better.
   Negation: One contractor in Ecuador has 39% of technicians certified. All other contractors in the world have 40% certified.
3. CORRECT. This exposes the flaw in the argument. The author didn’t make a link between certification and qualification.
   Negation: Technicians can be qualified even if they’re not certified.
4. It doesn’t matter who installed the systems in the past. We’re talking about the current technicians and whether they are qualified.
   Negation: The heating system was installed by trained monkeys.
5. It doesn’t matter if there’s a potential conflict of interest. The question was only talking about whether the technicians are qualified.
   Negation: The contractor has no personal ties to city officials.