LSAT 84, Logical Reasoning II, Q4, LSATHacks

QUESTION TEXT: The reason J.S. Bach is remembered is not that he had…

QUESTION TYPE: Weaken

CONCLUSION: Bach is remembered because he was prolific, not because his works were of high quality on average.

REASONING: Bach wrote over 1000 compositions. Some of them would inevitably be outstanding and cause him to be remembered today.

ANALYSIS: There are a couple ways to weaken this argument. First, we could prove that Bach actually did have high quality compositions on average. This would show that he isn’t just remembered because he got lucky with a few good ones.

Second, we could show that other prolific composers aren’t remembered. The argument says it was inevitable that some are outstanding and survive the ages. If other composers produced more works and aren’t remembered, that argument is significantly weakened.

___________

1. CORRECT. See analysis above. If this argument was accurate, they would be remembered.
2. Just because there are some composers who are famous for a small number of compositions, doesn’t mean Bach is one of them.
3. This supports the argument! It shows that most of his works were forgettable.
4. This is similar to C. And it doesn’t actually tell us anything new.
5. This is like B. Just because people with high quality work on average exist doesn’t mean he is one of them!

Recap: The question begins with “The reason JS Bach is remembered is not that he had”. It is a Weaken question. Learn more about LSAT Weaken questions in our guide to LSAT Logical Reasoning question types.

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