LSAT 112 – Section 1 – Question 19

LSAT 112 - Section 1 - Question 19

December 2001

You need a full course to see this video. Enroll now and get started in less than a minute.

Ask a tutor

Target time: 0:52

This is question data from the 7Sage LSAT Scorer. You can score your LSATs, track your results, and analyze your performance with pretty charts and vital statistics - all with a Free Account ← sign up in less than 10 seconds

Question
QuickView		 Type Tags Answer
Choices		 Curve Question
Difficulty		 Psg/Game/S
Difficulty		 Explanation
PT112 S1 Q19
+LR
Flaw or descriptive weakening +Flaw
Link Assumption +LinkA
Part v. Whole +PvW
A
0%
144
B
5%
153
C
85%
160
D
5%
152
E
4%
152
127
138
150
 +Easier 147.196 +SubsectionMedium

Although it has been suggested that Arton’s plays have a strong patriotic flavor, we must recall that, at the time of their composition, her country was in anything but a patriotic mood. Unemployment was high, food was costly, and crime rates were soaring. As a result, the general morale of her nation was at an especially low point. Realizing this, we see clearly that any apparent patriotism in Arton’s work must have been intended ironically.

Summarize Argument
The author concludes that any patriotism in Arton's plays was meant ironically. He supports this by pointing out that when she wrote them, her country was struggling with high unemployment, food costs, and crime, which led to low general morale and patriotism in the country.

Identify and Describe Flaw
The author draws a conclusion about Arton’s patriotism based on the general morale of her country at the time. In doing so, he assumes that Arton felt the same way about her country as the general population did. But perhaps Arton still felt patriotic, even though general morale and patriotism were low.

A
posits an unstated relationship between unemployment and crime
The author never claims that unemployment and crime rates in Arton’s country were related to each other. He just says that both were high.
B
takes for granted that straightforward patriotism is not possible for a serious writer
The author never assumes that patriotism is not possible for a serious writer, nor does he make any claims about whether Arton is a serious writer. Instead, he argues that straightforward patriotism is not possible in Arton’s work, given the state of her country at the time.
C
takes for granted that Arton was attuned to the predominant national attitude of her time
By claiming that the patriotism in Arton’s plays was ironic because of low morale and patriotism in her country, the author assumes that Arton shared the predominant national attitude of her time.
D
overlooks the fact that some citizens prosper in times of high unemployment
The author doesn't address this, but it isn’t a flaw in his argument. Some citizens may have prospered despite the high unemployment, but we can’t assume that Arton herself prospered. Either way, (D) fails to address the assumption that Arton shared her country’s general morale.
E
confuses irony with a general decline in public morale
“Irony” and “a general decline in public morale” are used unambiguously to refer to two distinct pieces of the author’s argument.

Take PrepTest

Review Results

LSAT PrepTest 112 Explanations

Section 1 - Logical Reasoning

Section 2 - Reading Comprehension

Section 3 - Logical Reasoning

Section 4 - Logical Reasoning

Get full LSAT course

Leave a Reply