LSAT 142 – Section 4 – Question 21

LSAT 142 - Section 4 - Question 21

December 2014

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Question
QuickView		 Type Tags Answer
Choices		 Curve Question
Difficulty		 Psg/Game/S
Difficulty		 Explanation
PT142 S4 Q21
+LR
Must be false +MBF
PSA - Find the rule +PSAr
Rule-Application +RuleApp
A
60%
166
B
14%
162
C
19%
160
D
5%
159
E
2%
160
149
160
170
 +Hardest 147.564 +SubsectionMedium

Letter to the editor: When your newspaper reported the (admittedly extraordinary) claim by Mr. Hanlon that he saw an alien spaceship, the tone of your article was very skeptical despite the fact that Hanlon has over the years proved to be a trusted member of the community. If Hanlon claimed to have observed a rare natural phenomenon like a large meteor, your article would not have been skeptical. So your newspaper exhibits an unjustified bias.

Summary

Mr. Hanlon’s claim that he saw an alien spaceship was extraordinary.

The newspaper reported on this claim with a skeptical tone.

Mr. Hanlon has proved to be a trusted member of the community.

Hanlon claimed to have seen a rare natural phenomenon→ /Article would have skeptical

The newspaper exhibits unjustified bias.

Notable Valid Inferences

If the article was skeptical, then Hanlon’s claim wouldn’t have been about a rare natural phenomenon.

A
If a claim is extraordinary, it should not be presented uncritically unless it is backed by evidence of an extraordinarily high standard.

The letter conflicts with the principle in (A), which gives sufficient conditions for the newspaper to be skeptical. Hanlon’s situation met these conditions, so the newspaper should be skeptical. Yet, the letter argues the opposite—that the newspaper should not be skeptical.

B
One should be skeptical of claims that are based upon testimonial evidence that is acquired only through an intermediary source.

This principle does not apply. (B) discusses testimonial evidence acquired only through an intermediary source, but Hanlon’s evidence was provided directly.

C
If a media outlet has trusted a source in the past and the source has a good reputation, the outlet should continue to trust that source.

This principle does not apply. We know that Hanlon has been a trusted member of the community, but we don’t know if this newspaper has trusted Hanlon as a source in the past. We also don’t know anything about the newspaper’s reputation.

D
People who think they observe supernatural phenomena should not publicize that fact unless they can present corroborating evidence.

This principle does not apply to the letter’s argument. The argument in the letter is about the newspaper’s bias, but the principle in (D) would pertain to Hanlon’s actions.

E
A newspaper should not publish a report unless it is confirmed by an independent source.

This principle does not apply. (E) gives a principle for determining when a report shouldn’t be published, but the letter isn’t arguing about whether or not the report should have been published. Instead, the letter’s argument is about the newspaper’s bias.

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LSAT PrepTest 142 Explanations

Section 1 - Logical Reasoning

Section 2 - Logical Reasoning

Section 3 - Reading Comprehension

Section 4 - Logical Reasoning

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