LSAT 144 | Section 2 | Logical Reasoning: Q3

LR Question 3 Explanation

QUESTION TEXT: Doris: I’ve noticed that everyone involved in student…

QUESTION TYPE: Point at Issue

ARGUMENTS: Doris says that people will become more outspoken if they go into student government. Her evidence is that people in student government tend to be outspoken.

Zack points out that only outspoken people tend to go into student government. He suggests that student government doesn’t cause them to be more outspoken.

ANALYSIS: To solve a point at issue question, there are two criteria:

1. Both authors must have an opinion on an answer.
2. One must say yes, and the other must say no.

Most answers fail the first criterion. One author will have an opinion, and the other won’t. Don’t fall into the trap of reading an opinion into an argument just to make an answer easier to choose.

___________

1. Zach didn’t say anything about how students should act.
2. Doris said yes. Zach doesn’t have an opinion. Zach’s argument is about the effect of entering student government. Zach doesn’t say anything about whether people should enter student government.
3. CORRECT. Doris says yes. Zach disagrees: he thinks people join student government because they are already outspoken.
4. Doris says yes. Zach didn’t say no.
5. Doris didn’t say that student government is the only way to become outspoken.