LSAT 88, Logical Reasoning I, Q2, LSATHacks

LR Question 2 Explanation, by LSATHacks

QUESTION TEXT: The poet E. E. Cummings stood for the individual human…

QUESTION TYPE: Sufficient Assumption

CONCLUSION: Cummings stood for individual humans being against regimentation and standardization, which is against something essential to his work.

REASONING: Metaphors require literal language, which requires regimentation.

ANALYSIS: The logic of metaphor ? literal language ? regimentation is sound, but doesn’t give us anything to link Cummings’ work to this chain. If Cummings’ work didn’t include metaphors, then this argument falls apart.

___________

1. We don’t care about what all poets use.
2. CORRECT. For Cummings to stand against something essential to his work (which was literal language), that means that metaphor needs to be essential to his work.
3. This is an illegal reversal of the stimulus. The stimulus gives us, if metaphor ? literal language; C says, if literal language ? metaphor.
4. We’re not concerned with whether or not poetry can be regimented or standardized. This doesn’t relate at all to something “essential” to Cummings’ work.
5. From the stimulus we’d have to assume that Cummings did use literal language. This is irrelevant.

Recap: The question begins with “The poet E E Cummings stood for the individual human”. It is a Sufficient Assumption question. Learn more about LSAT Sufficient questions in our guide to LSAT Logical Reasoning question types.

Hi, I'm Graeme Blake

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