LSAT 8 | Section 1 | Logical Reasoning: Q10

LR Question 10 Explanation

QUESTION TEXT: If the public library shared by the adjacent towns…

QUESTION TYPE: Strengthen

CONCLUSION: If the library moved then more people would live within walking distance of the library.

REASONING: There are more people living in central Glenwood than central Redville. People will generally only walk to the library if they live within walking distance.

ANALYSIS: The argument seems straightforward: there are more people in Glenwood. Shouldn’t they therefore be able to walk to the library?

Well, we aren’t told where people live within each area, or how big each area is. We also don’t know if the library will be centrally located in central Glenwood, or if it will be located on the outskirts.

___________

1. It’s hard to say what this does to the argument. We don’t know if more or less people could have walked to the library if it had been in between the towns.
2. CORRECT. This equalizes the size of the two areas. Suppose central Glenwood was instead five times the size of central Redville. Then it might not matter so much that more people lived in central Glenwood. They still might not be able to walk to the library.
3. This doesn’t affect the argument about walking distance.
4. That means presumably they won’t be able to walk to the library in either location. This doesn’t affect anything.
5. This increases the radius from which people can walk to the library. It’s hard to say what it does to the argument.

Recap: The question begins with “If the public library shared by the adjacent towns”. It is a Strengthen question. Learn more about LSAT Strengthen questions in our guide to LSAT Logical Reasoning question types.