LSAT 153 | Section 3 | Logical Reasoning: Q19

LR Question 19 Explanation

QUESTION TEXT: Most movie critics believe that sentimentality detracts from…

QUESTION TYPE: Flawed Reasoning

CONCLUSION: Critics are wrong to believe sentimentality detracts from aesthetic value.

REASONING: The reason they hold this belief is because sentimentality pervades so many movies that its absence makes a movie more interesting.

ANALYSIS: Think about what is being argued here. The author is making a case that the critics are wrong to believe something because they believe it based on a bad reason. However, the argument does not talk at all about the belief on its own merits. Couldn’t it be the case that sentimentality really does detract from aesthetic value, but critics just came upon this fact the wrong way?

___________

1. This is a different flaw.
    
   Example of flaw: Critics are wrong to believe sentimentality detracts from aesthetic value because the director of a film society said so.
2. This is a different flaw.
    
   Example of flaw: Critics are wrong to believe sentimentality detracts from aesthetic value because they just need more things to complain about in their bad reviews.
3. This doesn’t happen.
    
   Example of flaw: All good movies have a good story. This movie has a good story, so it must be a good movie.
4. CORRECT. This is correct. Just because critics come to this belief based on bad reasoning doesn’t mean that their conclusion is wrong. For example, someone who thinks it is daytime because the light is on in their room doesn’t mean they are wrong about it being daytime.
5. This didn’t happen.
    
   Example of flaw: Bad film quality makes a movie bad. Since this movie didn’t have bad film quality, it must be good.

Recap: The question begins with “Most movie critics believe that sentimentality detracts from”. It is a Flawed Reasoning question. Learn how to master LSAT Flaw questions on the LSAT Logical Reasoning question types page.