LSAT 145 | Section 2 | Logical Reasoning: Q21

LR Question 21 Explanation

QUESTION TEXT: Principle: If one does not criticize a form of behavior…

QUESTION TYPE: Principle – Application

PRINCIPLE: The principle below applies if you have “a flaw in oneself” (i.e. if you have that flaw)

Criticize flaw in self AND vow to stop ➞ Criticize in others

APPLICATION: Shimada should not criticize McFeney for tardiness. Unless Shimada vows to stop being tardy.

ANALYSIS: The principle here is slightly tricky. You may have written it as an “or”. But actually, it means “and”. This is a subtle feature of English. When I say “If you don’t do this or that” I mean “If you don’t do both”.

If you mean you don’t do one or you don’t do the other, you have to write “If you don’t do this or you don’t do that.” It’s the difference between “or that” and “or you don’t do that”.

Frankly, that may not have cleared things up, because there’s nothing to explain about it. It’s just an English grammar form you need to memorize. It’s no more logical than why the word red means red and not cheesecake.

So, to the actual application. There are actually three elements to the situation, though one isn’t worth drawing. If:

• Shimada is late, and
• Shimada is not criticizing himself for being late, and
• Shimada doesn’t vow to stop, then….

….Shimada shouldn’t criticize lateness in others. We’re trying to conclude “Shimada shouldn’t criticize someone else, unless they vow to change”. So “vow to change” needs to be the decisive factor. It can only be the decisive factor if the other factors are already true. So the right answer should say that Shimada is tardy, and isn’t criticizing himself.

___________

1. CORRECT. See the analysis above. This answers meets the first two bulleted conditions. Now “vowing to stop” is the only remaining condition: if they don’t vow to stop, then they can’t criticize.
2. This weakens the application. The principle talks about “a form of behavior in oneself”. So Shimada needs to actually be tardy before the principle applies to him.
3. The question is about whether Shimada should criticize. McFeney’s tendency to criticize is irrelevant.
4. This means the principle doesn’t apply. The principle said “If one does not criticize….in oneself”. This answer says that Shimada does criticize his own tardiness.
5. Same as B. The principle only applies when discussing “a form of behavior in oneself”. If Shimada isn’t tardy, then the principle doesn’t apply.