LSAT 118 – Section 4 – Question 01

LSAT 118 - Section 4 - Question 01

December 2004

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Question
QuickView		 Type Tags Answer
Choices		 Curve Question
Difficulty		 Psg/Game/S
Difficulty		 Explanation
PT118 S4 Q01
+LR
Main conclusion or main point +MC
Causal Reasoning +CausR
Net Effect +NetEff
A
0%
159
B
1%
151
C
1%
152
D
98%
165
E
1%
155
124
132
140
 +Easiest 147.106 +SubsectionMedium

Mayor McKinney’s policies have often been criticized on the grounds that they benefit only wealthy city residents, but that is not a fair evaluation. Some of McKinney’s policies have clearly benefited the city’s less affluent residents. McKinney actively supported last year’s proposal to lower the city’s high property taxes. Because of this tax decrease, more development is taking place in the city, helping to end the housing shortage and stabilize the rents in the city.

Summarize Argument: Counter-Position
This argument intends to counter the claim that Mayor McKinney’s policies only benefit the wealthy residents. The author supports her rejection of this claim by establishing that one of the Mayor’s policies, the decrease in property taxes, led to more development, which led to more housing, causing rent stabilization––which clearly benefits the less wealthy residents, therefore demonstrating that the criticism of the Mayor is unfair.

Identify Conclusion
The argumetn concludes by rejecting the claim that the Mayor’s policies only benefit wealthy residents: “That is not a fair evaluation.”

A
It is impossible to tell whether McKinney is more committed to the interests of the wealthy than to those of the poor.
This comparative claim, which weighs McKinney’s dedication to the wealthy against her dedication to the poor, is not a claim made in the argument, so it cannot be the main conclusion.
B
McKinney’s policies have often been criticized for benefiting only wealthy city residents.
This is the claim that the argument is trying to disprove; the author’s main conclusion goes against this idea.
C
The decrease in property taxes that McKinney supported caused more development to take place in the city.
This claim of a causal relationship is used as a premise to support the sub-conclusion that McKinney’s policies helped end the housing shortage. That sub-conclusion helps support the main conclusion that McKinney’s policies do not only benefit the wealthy. So, this is a premise.
D
The criticism that McKinney’s policies benefit only the wealthy is unjustified.
This is the main conclusion. This claim contradicts the criticism against Mayor McKinney, and the rest of the argument is used as support for this claim.
E
McKinney’s efforts helped end the housing shortage and stabilize the rents in the city.
This is a sub-conclusion that is used to support the main conclusion by demonstrating that Mayor McKinney’s policies do not only benefit the rich. The claim in this answer provides justification for the fact that some of the mayor’s policies benefit the poor.

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LSAT PrepTest 118 Explanations

Section 1 - Logical Reasoning

Section 2 - Reading Comprehension

Section 3 - Logical Reasoning

Section 4 - Logical Reasoning

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