LSAT 8 | Section 4 | Logical Reasoning: Q20

LR Question 20 Explanation

QUESTION TEXT: So-called environmentalists have argued that the proposed…

QUESTION TYPE: Flawed Reasoning

CONCLUSION: Their claim should be dismissed without further consideration.

REASONING: The environmentalists have raised environmental objections to nearly every development proposal we have proposed. Therefore their environmental objections aren’t real: they are actually just anti-progress.

ANALYSIS: The councilor ignores the possibility that every development project has raised legitimate environmental concerns.

Further, he is using a claim about the environmentalists’ motives to disprove their claim about birds. He should be addressing the claim about birds directly.

___________

1. This is a different error. An example would be: “My dog has a tail. Therefore all dogs have tails.” My reasoning is bad (I only have evidence from one dog) but that doesn’t make the conclusion wrong.
2. CORRECT. Yes. The councilor claims that the environmentalists’ claim about birds is incorrect because the councilor disagrees with their motives.
3. The councilor has provided evidence that the environmentalists’ opposition is not an exception. They have opposed almost every development scheme.
4. The councilor might be misrepresenting the environmentalists’ motives. They may actually be sincere. But motives are not evidence. Even if the environmentalists have purely environmental motives that shouldn’t affect whether their conclusion is true.
5. The councilor hasn’t claimed that every individual environmentalist is anti-progress.

Recap: The question begins with “So-called environmentalists have argued that the proposed”. It is a Flawed Reasoning question. Learn more about LSAT Flaw questions in our guide to LSAT Logical Reasoning question types.