LSAT 88, Logical Reasoning I, Q14, LSATHacks

LR Question 14 Explanation, by LSATHacks

QUESTION TEXT: Superintendent: Within the school district overall, 11 percent…

QUESTION TYPE: Flawed Reasoning

CONCLUSION: Having an internship decreases the chance of a student dropping out of high school.

REASONING: Overall, 11% of high school students in the district drop out. But of those of work internships, only 1% drop out.

ANALYSIS: The superintendent identifies two phenomenons, and suggests that one (internships) is causing the other (not dropping out). This is a classic correlation-causation question.

___________

1. This is a strange answer choice and frankly, isn’t a part of the usual LSAT repertoire.
2. There’s no shift in the meaning of “student” in this stimulus.
3. The Superintendent isn’t generalizing from a single instance in the premises to a conclusion saying that all students are a certain way.
4. CORRECT. This is a cause and effect flaw, just as we prephrased.
5. This is circular reasoning, which means that the conclusion says the same thing as the premise. This doesn’t happen here.

Recap: The question begins with “Superintendent: Within the school district overall, 11 percent”. It is a Flawed Reasoning question. Learn more about LSAT Flaw questions in our guide to LSAT Logical Reasoning question types.

Hi, I'm Graeme Blake

Founder of LSAThacks; I scored a 177 on the LSAT.

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