LR Question 6 Explanation
QUESTION TEXT: Mario: I see that the only rug store in Glendale has…
QUESTION TYPE: Point at Issue
ARGUMENTS: Mario argues that the market for rugs in Glendale must be bad. After all, the only rug store closed. It would be silly, therefore, to open up another rug store.
Renate argues that the rug store closed for reasons unrelated to the rug market. Therefore, the market for rugs is likely promising.
ANALYSIS: On point at issue questions, you must find something that:
- Both authors will have a yes or no answer to.
- One says yes, the other says no.
Here, the right answer requires you to apply a small bit of common sense. When someone says a market is “wide open”, they mean the market will be profitable and it would be a good idea to enter that market. That’s what “wide open” means.
Increasingly, the LSAT requires you to recognize when two different words/terms are synonyms.
___________
- Neither person mentions rug quality.
- CORRECT. Mario says no. Renate says the market for rugs is “wide open”, which suggests it is a good idea to open a rug store.
This answer requires you to use common sense: when someone says a market is “wide open”, they’re implying they think a rug store would do well. - The two authors seem to agree about that it’s possible to determine the state of the rug market. Mario and Renate come to opposite conclusions, but they agree that a conclusion is possible.
- Neither author mentions other stores.
- Mario agrees. Renate doesn’t say, but it would be absurd for them to disagree with this statement. Obviously, it’s possible for a lack of a market to close a rug store.
More Resources for Point at Issue Questions
- Intro Course lesson: This intro course lesson covers Point at Issue questions.
- Mastery Seminar lesson: This LR Mastery seminar lesson covers point at issue questions.
How does the claim that a market is now wide open translate to it being a good idea to open a business in that market?
We can determine a market is wide open, but we haven’t determined the market entirely. In order to do that, would we not have to consider supply and demand? We have no idea what the demand is for rugs and we have no idea how profitable rugs are in Glendale.
If you go to an amish town, the market for cell phones is wide open. You would have zero competition in selling cell phones in their town, but is it a good idea? Of course not. Nobody would buy your cell phones.
What if everyone in Glendale already has all the rugs they will ever want? What if there’s a tax on rugs in Glendale which makes it impossible to turn a profit? What if rugs are just out of style in Glendale? These are all valid loopholes to answer B. Renate has made no claim that it is a good idea.
Answer C is the only one that would work under these conditions. Is determining a market is open the same as determining the market? If I ask you what the market is like for cell phones in an Amish town, you would have to consider both the supply and demand. Yes, the market is open, but that’s not the end of the story when considering the market as a whole.
Answer Choice C says that Mario and Renate diagree over whether or not it is possible to determine the market for rugs in Glendale. Based on the stimulus, they actually agree that it’s possible to determine it. Mario says it can be determined by the fact that Glendale’s out of business, the rug market isn’t great. Renate says that since Glendale is gone, a new rug-seller has a great market to supply. If one of them said it’s possible to determine the state of the market and the other one says it’s impossible, then Answer Choice C would be correct.
In questions that asks what claim the stimulus “provides the most support for,” you select the answer choice that seems the most correct, even if it’s not 100%. You’re correct that we don’t know the demand for rugs/how profitable rug stores are. But generally, if a market is “wide open,” that implies that the market has no limits or restrictions (Merriam-Webster definition) on the amount a vendor is able to sell. So typically, it would be a “good idea” to open a store in such a market. Now we have to keep in mind, the question is asking what the two people disagree about. Renate would agree that it’s a good idea to open a rug store. Mario disagrees. Thus B is the right answer.
I got this question right, but I guessed. I have to disagree with your definition of “wide open”. According to Investopedia (no idea if that’s a good source), it “occurs when there is a scarcity of competitive bid “.
That doesn’t mean a business opens in an area that currently does not have a similar business will succeed or be profitable.
The market in my city for chocolate covered pickles is wide open.. no business of this type currently exists within city limits. However, this does not mean or translate into meaning this business would be profitable.
P.S. I thought LSAT was not supposed to provide info surrounding terms if they are uncommon. I have noticed that reading comp especially is increasingly including unusual terminology without defining or giving context clues.
This is idiomatic English. When someone says something is wide open, they mean it either in a positive sense or in the sense that it is an opportunity easy to exploit.
The lsat generally defines very technical terms but not English idiom or more fundamental vocabulary. Here they’re testing your reading skill. The lsat is not a vocabulary test but vocabulary and grammar help.
We can also infer this meaning by noting how Renate speaks. They say the closure had nothing to do with the sale of rugs, meaning the store closed for reasons other than market conditions. That implies an opportunity as there is now a gap in the rug market.
Note: This is an old comment but I wanted to clarify the point.