LSAT 158 | Section 3 | Logical Reasoning: Q4

LR Question 4 Explanation

QUESTION TEXT: Generally, it is important that people practice what they preach…

QUESTION TYPE: Flawed Reasoning

CONCLUSION: People should practice what they preach, with some exceptions.

REASONING: Logicians don’t need to be logical any more than physicians need to have a healthy lifestyle.

ANALYSIS: You should be able to see the difference between the two examples the author gives. A physician can certainly give health advice even if they themselves don’t live a healthy lifestyle. It’s not a physician’s job to be themselves healthy – they just have to provide health advice to others.

But a logician’s job is to discuss logic, and if they can’t or won’t do that logically, then they can’t do their job. The flawed reasoning lies in this comparison and the claim that it is “no more necessary” to have a logical logician than a healthy physician.

___________

1. CORRECT. This logician, if they can’t logically discuss logic, can’t do their job. A doctor who smokes can still provide health advice to patients.
2. This misses the point, and is a bit of an edge case.
3. This is not a flaw in the author’s argument. It’s not about who causes more harm. Additionally, the author doesn’t say that physicians with unhealthy lifestyles are incompetent.
4. The author is not making any claims about which problem (unhealthy lifestyle or illogicality) is easier to solve.
5. This is wrong. It is necessary for logicians to be logical in order to be competent to discuss logic. That’s the entire job.

Recap: The question begins with “Generally, it is important that people practice what they preach”. It is a Flawed Reasoning question. Learn more about LSAT Flaw questions in our guide to LSAT Logical Reasoning question types.