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 that technical ingenuity helps people more than ethical inventiveness. This is because political powers see new technologies as helpful, while they see new ideas as dangerous.

Notable Assumptions
In order for technical ingenuity and ethical inventiveness to harm or help those who possess it, the author must believe people with political power exert some sort of practical influence that results in people with technical ingenuity benefitting and people with ethical inventiveness suffering. The author therefore assumes that such influence is indeed exerted.

A
Those who offer new ways of justifying current political power often reap the benefits of their own innovations.
This suggests that political powers benefit some people who are ethically inventive. This therefore weakens the author’s argument.
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.
Ethically inventive people are indeed harmed by being punished. Technically ingenious people indeed benefit by being rewarded. This justifies the author’s use of the terms “harm” and “benefit.”
C
Ethical inventiveness and technical ingenuity are never possessed by the same individuals.
We don’t care. Perhaps politically powerful people alternately harm and help the same person depending on whether that person is exercising their ethical inventiveness or technical ingenuity.
D
New technologies are often used by people who strive to defeat those who currently have political power.
This suggests that new technologies don’t always benefit political powers. Nevertheless, we know that political powers generally view these technologies as beneficial.
E
Many people who possess ethical inventiveness conceal their novel ethical arguments for fear of retribution by the politically powerful.
This strengthens the author’s claim that ethical inventiveness brings people harm, but it leaves out the other half of the equation: technical ingenuity. (B) covers both sides.

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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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