LSAT 143 | Section 2 | Reading Comprehension: Q18

RC Question 18 Explanation

QUESTION TEXT: The author of passage A would be most likely to…

DISCUSSION: The right answer for this type of question should be clearly supported. The wrong answers will all be clearly wrong. If you have to stretch to justify an answer, it probably isn’t the right one.

Look to the passage if you’re uncertain. Passage A very clearly supports C, in lines 23-27. Once you spot those lines, it’s easy to choose it.

___________

1. Rational beings were only discussed in passage B.
2. Neither passage argued that we have a duty to treat people as they treat others. Both authors instead argued that we have the right to do so.
3. CORRECT. Lines 23-27 say this directly. A pathological liar has no right to the truth, but we might still want to avoid lying, as we could harm ourselves by lying, or harm others.
4. Line 26 says other circumstances have to be “taken into account”. So the author of passage A is not saying “don’t lie”. They’re saying “consider carefully whether to lie to a liar”. This implies that it some cases lying to a liar may indeed be justified.
   So this answer is unsupported.
5. Passage A never talks about innocent people or whether they always deserve innocence.