LSAT 116 – Section 2 – Question 08

LSAT 116 - Section 2 - Question 08

June 2004

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Question
QuickView		 Type Tags Answer
Choices		 Curve Question
Difficulty		 Psg/Game/S
Difficulty		 Explanation
PT116 S2 Q08
+LR
Except +Exc
Strengthen +Streng
Causal Reasoning +CausR
A
4%
158
B
7%
159
C
85%
164
D
2%
155
E
2%
155
127
140
153
 +Easier 146.822 +SubsectionMedium

Criminologist: Increasing the current prison term for robbery will result in no significant effect in discouraging people from committing robbery.

Summarize Argument
The criminologist concludes that increasing the prison term for robbery won’t discourage people from committing robbery. No support is provided for this claim.

Notable Assumptions
The criminologist assumes that potential robbers are not deterred by stiffer prison terms.

A
Many people who rob are motivated primarily by thrill-seeking and risk-taking.
Stiffer prison terms increase the risk of committing a robbery. This actually leads people to commit more robberies, since robbers are motivated by taking risks.
B
An increase in the prison term for embezzlement did not change the rate at which that crime was committed.
There was no decrease in the embezzlement rate when stiffer penalties were added for embezzlement. If robbery is similar to embezzlement from a criminological standpoint, then robbery rates likely won’t decline when stiffer penalties are added for robbery.
C
Prison terms for robbery have generally decreased in length recently.
We have no idea how decreasing sentences have affected robbery rates. This does nothing for the criminologist’s argument.
D
Most people committing robbery believe that they will not get caught.
Robbers don’t worry about robbery sentences since they don’t think they’ll get caught in the first place. Thus, the prospect of a 5-year sentence has the same effect on them as a 7-year sentence.
E
Most people committing robbery have no idea what the average sentence for robbery is.
Robbers aren’t aware of average sentences. They can’t be deterred by something they don’t know.

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LSAT PrepTest 116 Explanations

Section 1 - Reading Comprehension

Section 2 - Logical Reasoning

Section 3 - Logical Reasoning

Section 4 - Reading Comprehension

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