LSAT 152 | Section 2 | Logical Reasoning: Q20

LR Question 20 Explanation

QUESTION TEXT: Pulford: Scientists who study the remains of ancient…

QUESTION TYPE: Method of Reasoning

ARGUMENTS: Pulford says scientists shouldn’t investigate the health of historical figures if curiosity is their main motive. They should only investigate for science.

Varela reminds Pulford that curiosity is the root of much scientific inquiry.

ANALYSIS: Varela basically tells Pulford that curiosity and science more or less are the same thing.

___________

1. CORRECT. Yup. Pulford tries to draw a line between curiosity (bad) and science (good). Varela says they’re the same thing: science has curiosity at its core.
2. This is tempting, but it would look different. To dispute something someone literally states, you have to be very direct. Like I say “Cats are good!” and you say “No cats are bad!” level of simplicity. Pulford did not explicitly state that curiosity has nothing to do with science. Pulford merely implied it. That’s why Varela says “you forget…” rather than “you are wrong….”. They’re reminding Pulford of something, not contradicting Pulford’s principle.
    
   Example of method: Pulford: I say curiosity is intrinsically the tool of the devil!
    
   Varela: I disagree! Curiosity is the work of God, not the devil.
    
   (This is direct contradiction. In the argument, Varela instead said the distinction Pulford made was false)
3. A counterexample involves citing a specific example to disproof a general rule. Varela cited no examples.
    
   Example of method: Aha, but you forget that curiosity can motivate science. For example, penicillin was discovered because a researcher was curios about mold on an orange.
4. This is the opposite of the right answer. Pulford makes a distinction between two views: describing something as science vs. curiosity. It is Varela who then tries to say there is no distinction.
5. You will rarely see inconsistent premises, as it is a major, major error.
    
   Example of inconsistent premises: You said the best color is red. But then you also said the best color is green. This is inconsistent: only one color can be best.

Recap: The question begins with “Pulford: Scientists who study the remains of ancient”. It is a Method of Reasoning question. Learn more about LSAT Method of Reasoning questions in our guide to LSAT Logical Reasoning question types.