LSAT 102 – Section 4 – Question 21

LSAT 102 - Section 4 - Question 21

June 1998

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Question
QuickView		 Type Tags Answer
Choices		 Curve Question
Difficulty		 Psg/Game/S
Difficulty		 Explanation
PT102 S4 Q21
+LR
Method of reasoning or descriptive +Method
Conditional Reasoning +CondR
A
1%
158
B
5%
163
C
89%
167
D
0%
153
E
5%
156
138
147
156
 +Medium 146.127 +SubsectionMedium

Sarah: Some schools seek to foster a habit of volunteering in their students by requiring them to perform community service. But since a person who has been forced to do something has not really volunteered and since the habit of volunteering cannot be said to have been fostered in a person who has not yet volunteered for anything, there is no way this policy can succeed by itself.

Paul: I disagree. Some students forced to perform community service have enjoyed it so much that they subsequently actually volunteer to do something similar. In such cases, the policy can clearly be said to have fostered a habit of volunteering.

Summarize Argument: Counter-Position
Paul concludes that the policy can foster a habit of volunteering in students. As evidence, he points out that sometimes when students are forced to participate in community service, those students subsequently actually volunteer to do something similar.

Describe Method of Reasoning
Paul counters the position held by Sarah. He does this by introducing a consequence of forced volunteering that Sarah did not consider: sometimes when students are forced to volunteer they enjoy it so much that they actually volunteer on their own.

A
He argues that Sarah is assuming just what she sets out to prove.
Paul does not argue that Sarah’s reasoning is circular. Rather, Paul introduces a consideration that Sarah’s argument does not consider.
B
He argues that Sarah’s conception of what it means to volunteer excludes certain activities that ought to be considered instances of volunteering.
Paul does not claim Sarah is excluding certain activities from being counted as volunteering. Rather, Paul claims that Sarah’s argument excludes the possibility of students volunteering on their own after first having been forced to volunteer.
C
He introduces considerations that call into question one of Sarah’s assumptions.
Sarah’s assumption is that by forcing a person to volunteer, that person will never actually volunteer on their own accord. Paul counters this by describing some instances where students afterwards volunteer on their own because they enjoyed it.
D
He questions Sarah’s motives for advancing an argument against the school policy.
Paul is not questioning Sarah’s motives. He question’s Sarah’s arguments on its merits instead of focusing on Sarah’s personal characteristics.
E
He argues that a policy Sarah fails to consider could accomplish the same aim as the policy that Sarah considers.
Paul does not introduce an alternative policy. Instead, he points out a consequence Sarah’s argument does not consider.

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LSAT PrepTest 102 Explanations

Section 1 - Reading Comprehension

Section 2 - Logical Reasoning

Section 3 - Logical Reasoning

Section 4 - Logical Reasoning

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