LSAT 112 – Section 4 – Question 18

LSAT 112 - Section 4 - Question 18

December 2001

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Question
QuickView		 Type Tags Answer
Choices		 Curve Question
Difficulty		 Psg/Game/S
Difficulty		 Explanation
PT112 S4 Q18
+LR
+Exp
Strengthen +Streng
Conditional Reasoning +CondR
Link Assumption +LinkA
A
4%
161
B
80%
168
C
8%
160
D
2%
155
E
6%
160
144
153
162
 +Harder 142.561 +SubsectionEasier

People who have political power tend to see new technologies as a means of extending or protecting their power, whereas they generally see new ethical arguments and ideas as a threat to it. Therefore, technical ingenuity usually brings benefits to those who have this ingenuity, whereas ethical inventiveness brings only pain to those who have this inventiveness.

Summarize Argument

The author concludes two things:

(1) People with technical ingenuity are usually rewarded for that ingenuity. Why? Because the politically powerful tend to view new technologies as useful for reinforcing their own power.

(2) People with ethical inventiveness are only ever punished for that inventiveness. Why? Because the politically powerful tend to view new ethical ideas as a threat to their power.

Notable Assumptions

The author makes two key assumptions:

(1) When people with political power view something as useful for reinforcing their own power (i.e., new technologies), the people responsible (i.e., those with technical ingenuity) somehow benefit.

(2) When people with political power view something as a threat to their power (i.e., new ethical ideas), the people responsible (i.e., those with ethical inventiveness) somehow always suffer.

A
Those who offer new ways of justifying current political power often reap the benefits of their own innovations.
It’s unclear whether “justifying current political power” is an ethical innovation. If no, then (A) is irrelevant. If yes, then (A) means ethical inventiveness can benefit the inventor, weakening the conclusion that ethical inventiveness brings only pain to the inventor.
B
Politically powerful people tend to reward those who they believe are useful to them and to punish those who they believe are a threat.
This strengthens both claims in the conclusion. The politically powerful believe technically ingenious people are useful to them, so they reward such people. And they believe ethically inventive people are a threat to their power, so they punish such people.
C
Ethical inventiveness and technical ingenuity are never possessed by the same individuals.
We want to help show that ethical inventiveness brings pain, while technical ingenuity brings benefits. The fact that these two traits belong to different sets of people tells us nothing about if, or why, one trait would have bad effects while the other would have good effects.
D
New technologies are often used by people who strive to defeat those who currently have political power.
We want to help show that technical ingenuity brings benefits (and that ethical inventiveness brings pain), given the views of politically powerful people. But (D) says technical ingenuity could pose a threat to the politically powerful. If anything, (D) weakens.
E
Many people who possess ethical inventiveness conceal their novel ethical arguments for fear of retribution by the politically powerful.
The conclusion is about the consequences of both ethical inventiveness and technical ingenuity. At best, (E) strengthens only the half the conclusion. Even then, (E) merely suggests that some people might be punished, but the conclusion says ethical inventiveness guarantees pain.

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LSAT PrepTest 112 Explanations

Section 1 - Logical Reasoning

Section 2 - Reading Comprehension

Section 3 - Logical Reasoning

Section 4 - Logical Reasoning

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