LSAT 74, Logical Reasoning I, Q1

QUESTION TEXT: Children should be discouraged from reading…

QUESTION TYPE: Complete the Argument

CONCLUSION: Jones’ books prevent students from enjoying more complex books.

REASONING: Jones’ books are like candy. They create short term excitement, but prevent you from liking better food.

ANALYSIS: This is an argument by analogy. To predict the answer, you should think about what the analogy says. The point of the analogy is that we like candy in the short term, but it’s better to eat real food in the long run. The same is therefore true of Jones’ books vs. real literature.

The question uses complex language. For example, “fare” instead of “food”. When you come across hard words, don’t panic. Read around them for context. Start with words you know, and use them to understand the others. You don’t need to understand words perfectly to get a question right.

Then flag the question for review. On review look up every word you don’t know. This is how people with large vocabularies learn more words – we’re always using dictionaries. If you’re using a Mac, type cmd + space to bring up Finder, then type the word to search for it in the excellent dictionary app.

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1. Candy is just an analogy. Books won’t make you eat sweets.
2. Jones’ books are like candy, so they’re easy to read. The problem is that you won’t want to read anything harder.
3. CORRECT. The problem with candy is that it dulls our taste for real food. The author says Jones’ books are like candy, so this answer finishes their thought.
4. The argument doesn’t even mention parents. The author didn’t say who should discourage children. Maybe teachers are the ones able to stop them from reading Jones’ books.
5. This doesn’t match the analogy. The author didn’t say that people spend all their time eating once they get a taste for candy.

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