LSAT 158 | Section 3 | Logical Reasoning: Q8

LR Question 8 Explanation

QUESTION TEXT: Student: My paper was not graded in accordance with…

QUESTION TYPE: Flawed Reasoning

CONCLUSION: The paper was not graded in accordance with the professor’s stated criteria.

REASONING: The professor said only papers with conclusions supported by reliable statistical evidence would get an A. My paper’s conclusion fit that requirement, but got a B.

ANALYSIS: This is an error you’ll see over and over again on the LSAT. The author mistakes a necessary condition for a sufficient condition. If you aren’t familiar with this error, make sure you understand it because you will definitely see it again.

The professor gave a requirement for getting an A, but didn’t say that all papers meeting that requirement get an A. Imagine if the professor said she would only give As to papers that were submitted on time. It doesn’t mean submitting on time gets you an automatic A, but rather that if you submit late you can’t get an A. This is the same.

___________

1. This is not the flaw the student makes. The stated criteria is not a distraction from the paper, but is in fact the argument the student makes.
2. This isn’t the flaw.
3. CORRECT. The professor didn’t guarantee an A to anyone whose conclusion was supported by reliable statistical evidence.
4. You could argue that the student is biased in favour of their own paper, but this doesn’t invalidate the argument. If the student said “the teacher should have given me an A because my paper was incredible”, that would be a biased argument.
5. The student didn’t need to make this distinction, because the paper’s objective quality is irrelevant. They say it fits the professor’s stated criteria, but never make any claim that it was objectively good or not.

Recap: The question begins with “Student: My paper was not graded in accordance with”. It is a Flawed Reasoning question. Learn more about LSAT Flaw questions in our guide to LSAT Logical Reasoning question types.