LSAT 148 | Section 4 | Logical Reasoning: Q23

LR Question 23 Explanation

QUESTION TEXT: YXK is currently the television network with the…

QUESTION TYPE: Flawed Parallel Reasoning

CONCLUSION: Bliss has more viewers than any other TV show.

REASONING: YXK is the network with the most viewers, and Bliss is the biggest show on YXK.

ANALYSIS: This argument ignores the total number of shows. Maybe YXK just has a massive number of shows, none especially popular, but in total accounting for a large number of viewers.

Meanwhile, some other, smaller network might have a single massive hit show that is larger than Bliss.

I found this to be a fairly elaborate argument. I think modern parallel reasoning questions are getting more intricate. Up front work to understand the structure really pays off.

___________

1. CORRECT. This parallels exactly.
   XYK: most popular network
   Soccer players: most leg injuries
   Bliss: most popular show on XYK
   Linda Wilson: most leg injuries in soccer
   Flaw: ignores the possibility of a large outlier. A really popular show on another network, or an unusually unlucky athlete in another sport. Outliers can always be higher than an average.
2. This argument jumps from teaching awards to best teacher. Whereas the original stuck to viewership.
3. This is actually a good argument. We already know that Olson has the three best individual selling models in the country. So if the Decade is Olson’s best seller, then it is also the country’s best seller.
4. This is a different type of flaw. It’s overgeneralizing from two data points. It’s possible that the lowest and highest paid police officers are outliers, and that the typical firefighter is higher paid. In any case, the original argument didn’t say “YXK’s most popular show is more popular than the most popular show on network XY, and YXK’s least popular show is….”
5. This is a good argument! It correctly applies a “most” statement to an individual situation. If I say “Usually, the winner practiced a lot. John is the winner, so he probably practiced a lot”, that’s a good argument.

Recap: The question begins with “YXK is currently the television network with”. It is a Flawed Parallel Reasoning question. To practice more Flawed Parallel Reasoning questions, have a look at the LSAT Questions by Type page.