LSAT 8 | Section 1 | Logical Reasoning: Q22

LR Question 22 Explanation

QUESTION TEXT: For the writers who first gave feudalism its name…

QUESTION TYPE: Most Strongly Supported

FACTS: Feudalism started in the 8th century. The preconditions for a noble class (noble titles and legal inheritance of titles) did not occur until the 12th century when feudalism was in decline.

ANALYSIS: The above facts strongly support the conclusion that the writers are wrong and that feudalism can (and did) exist without a noble class.

___________

1. CORRECT. Yes. Feudalism existed before nobility. To say that feudalism requires nobility ignores this historical fact.
2. There may have been a dominant class even if strictly speaking the nobility did not exist.
3. We don’t know: it may be that a distinct legal status is actually sufficient for a group to be a separate social class. (in the question “distinct legal status” was a necessary condition however)
4. We don’t even know if the decline of feudalism was a cause of the rise of nobility. We just know the two things occurred together.
5. We don’t know. We just know that one thing occurred after the other, but we don’t know if feudalism was the cause of nobility.

Recap: The question begins with “For the writers who first gave feudalism its name”. It is a Most Strongly Supported question. Learn more about LSAT MSS questions in our guide to LSAT Logical Reasoning question types.