LSAT 112 – Section 3 – Question 23

LSAT 112 - Section 3 - Question 23

December 2001

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Question
QuickView		 Type Tags Answer
Choices		 Curve Question
Difficulty		 Psg/Game/S
Difficulty		 Explanation
PT112 S3 Q23
+LR
Most strongly supported +MSS
Causal Reasoning +CausR
A
20%
155
B
3%
149
C
72%
162
D
4%
150
E
2%
147
143
151
159
 +Medium 144.548 +SubsectionEasier

A newspaper article on Britain’s unions argued that their strength was declining. The article’s evidence was the decreasing number and size of strikes, as if the reason for the unions’ existence was to organize strikes. Surely, in a modern industrial society, the calling of a strike is evidence that the negotiating position of the union was too weak. Strong unions do not need to call strikes. They can concentrate their efforts on working with others in the labor market to achieve common goals, such as profitable and humane working conditions.

Summary
An article on Britain’s unions agreed that union strength was declining. The article cited the decreasing number and size of strikes. In a modern society, calling strikes is evidence of a weak negotiating position for a union. Strong unions do not need to call strikes. Strong unions can focus on working with others in the labor market to achieve goals.

Strongly Supported Conclusions
The newspaper has not established a compelling reason to think that union strength is declining.

A
The negotiating position of a union is weak if the only means it has of achieving its end is a strike or the threat of a strike.
This is unsupported as the main conclusion because the author uses the argument about the relationship between strikes and negotiating power to serve the broader end that union power is not declining.
B
Although unions represent the interests of their members, that does not preclude them from having interests in common with other participants in the labor market.
This is unsupported because the author doesn’t tell us to what extent a union’s interests may trade off with other participants in the labor market. While there may be common interests, that isn’t the main conclusion of the argument.
C
There is no reason to believe, on the basis of what the newspaper article said, that union strength in Britain is declining.
This is strongly supported as the main conclusion because the author is attempting to disagree with the conclusion of the newspaper. The author argues that strikes would in fact be indicative of a lack of strength.
D
The reason for unions’ existence is to work for goals such as profitable and humane working conditions by organizing strikes.
This is unsupported because the author doesn’t establish what the main purpose is of unions’ existence.
E
With strong unions it is possible for a modern industrial society to achieve profitable and humane working conditions, but without them it would be impossible.
This is unsupported because the author gives us no information about the relationship between unions and overall labor conditions in Britain, let alone any modern industrial society.

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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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