LSAT 84, Logical Reasoning II, Q20, LSATHacks

QUESTION TEXT: History student: It is unfair for the History Department…

QUESTION TYPE: Point at Issue

ARGUMENTS:

Student: It’s censorship to tell students not to read online encyclopedias. They may not be peer reviewed, but it is unfair to prevent students from citing them in research.

Professor: Students can read them – they just can’t cute them. The lack of peer review means they cannot be reasonably relied upon.

ANALYSIS: The student is under the impression that the rule prevents them from reading online encyclopedias and thus censors them. The professor says that reading is okay – the rule specifically addresses citing.

Remember not to read too far into what someone thinks. The professor is not taking a stance on censorship. They are just clarifying what the rule means and does not mean.

The difference here, then, is that the student is under the impression that they are being prevented from reading online encyclopedias. The professor does not believe that this is what the rule means.

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1. The professor probably thinks this, but the student doesn’t say anything to indicate this. Remember the difference between some and all. The student wants to be allowed to use some non-peer-reviewed sources. But this doesn’t mean they don’t think peer-reviewed sources are good or required.
2. CORRECT. The student clearly thinks reading non-peer-reviewed sources is banned. The professor disagrees.
3. As mentioned in the analysis, the professor never takes any stance on censorship. Don’t read too far into it!
4. The student doesn’t say that non-peer-reviewed sources have solid support. Their argument comes from an anti-censorship stance.
5. The student certainly thinks this, but we don’t have any evidence to indicate that the professor disagrees with them!

Recap: The question begins with “History student: It is unfair for the History Department”. It is a Point at Issue question. Learn more about LSAT Point at Issue questions in our guide to LSAT Logical Reasoning question types.

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