LSAT 87, Logical Reasoning I, Q21, LSATHacks

QUESTION TEXT: City official: Landowners must clear the snow from…

QUESTION TYPE: Must be True

FACTS:

1. Landowners are required to clear their sidewalks within 24 hours of a snowstorm ending.

2. If they don’t, the city has the right to clear it and will bill them for the service.

3. 48 hours after the snowstorm, any landowners with uncleared sidewalks receive citations.

4. Citations result in fines unless the landowners demonstrate extenuating circumstances.

ANALYSIS: A timeline of what could/will happen might be useful for this question. Remember not to assume anything that isn’t stated! Here’s mine:

A. Less than 24 hours after storm: landowners can shovel snow. City does not have the right.

B. More than 24 hours: City has the right to clear the sidewalks, and will bill if they do. Landowners can still clear sidewalks themselves.

C. More than 48 hours: All from B still applies. Landowners will receive citations and will be fined if they can’t demonstrate extenuating circumstances.

___________

1. CORRECT. The city can clear sidewalks “more than 24 hours” after the end of a snowstorm. The landowner will be billed, because the city always bills after clearing a sidewalk. The landowner receives a citation even if there are extenuating circumstances.
2. The city doesn’t always clear sidewalks after 24 hours. They just have the right to.
3. There may be sidewalks that are not cleared after 50 hours. We are not told that the city clears all sidewalks that landowners do not clear.
4. “Nearly all” is too strong. It’s possible that most or even all landowners who get citations can demonstrate extenuating circumstances and do not receive fines.
5. Landowners with extenuating circumstances will still be billed if the city clears their sidewalk – the extenuating circumstances only save them from the fine.

Recap: The question begins with “City official: Landowners must clear the snow from”. It is a Must be True question. Learn how to master LSAT MBT questions on the LSAT Logical Reasoning question types page.

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