LSAT 153 | Section 3 | Logical Reasoning: Q16

LR Question 16 Explanation

QUESTION TEXT: If a novelist is popular he or she can vividly imagine…

QUESTION TYPE: Could be True – Exception

FACTS: Popular novelists can vividly imagine many characters with different personality and attitudes from their own. Popular novelists can empathize with people with different goals. Popular novelists will have some doubts about the genuine value of their own desires.

ANALYSIS: It may be helpful to break down the facts of this case into a logical format that will allow us to see the connections that are being made. PN will stand for popular novelists.

1. If PN, then imagine many characters.
2. If PN, then empathize with people of different goals.
3. If PN, then some doubts about genuine value of their desires.

We can use these simplified conditionals as rules to more easily identify which of the answers can or cannot be true. If a rule is broken, then the answer cannot be true.

___________

1. This can be true because we are only told what popular novelists must be like. Therefore, unpopular novelists can do anything in this scenario.
2. This can be true because “some novelists” can refer to popular and unpopular novelists. None of our rules prevent unpopular novelists from lacking empathy. Therefore, some unpopular novelists can lack empathy.
3. CORRECT. This cannot be true. We are told that ALL popular novelists have the ability to empathize with people of different goals. Therefore, it is impossible for any popular novelist to be unempathetic.
4. If we break down this answer, it is basically saying that people who have doubts about the value of their goals must also empathize with people of different goals. This does not contradict our rules, since popular novelists fulfill both categories.
5. This is possible. It doesn’t break any of our rules since we are told popular novelists will doubt the value of what they desire.

Recap: The question begins with “If a novelist is popular he or she can vividly imagine”. It is a Could be True – Exception question. Learn more about LSAT Must be False questions in our guide to LSAT Logical Reasoning question types.