LSAT 138 – Section 3 – Question 11

LSAT 138 - Section 3 - Question 11

December 2012

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Question
QuickView		 Type Tags Answer
Choices		 Curve Question
Difficulty		 Psg/Game/S
Difficulty		 Explanation
PT138 S3 Q11
+LR
Main conclusion or main point +MC
A
1%
153
B
3%
154
C
2%
154
D
93%
165
E
0%
150
134
142
149
 +Medium 147.528 +SubsectionMedium

Counselor: Many people assume that personal conflicts are inevitable, but that assumption is just not so. Personal conflicts arise primarily because people are being irrational. For instance, people often find it easier to ascribe bad qualities to a person than good ones—even when there is more evidence of the latter. If someone suspects that a friend is unreliable, for example, a single instance may turn this suspicion into a feeling of certainty, whereas a belief that someone is reliable is normally built up only after many years of personal interaction.

Summarize Argument: Counter-Position
Personal conflicts aren’t unavoidable; they usually happen because people act irrationally. For example, it’s easier for people to assume someone has bad qualities rather than good ones, even if there is more evidence of the person’s good qualities. If someone thinks a friend is unreliable, one mistake can confirm that belief. However, it usually takes years of seeing a friend act reliably to feel certain that the friend is reliable.

Identify Conclusion
Personal conflicts are not inevitable.

A
Many people assume that personal conflicts are inevitable.
This is context. It explains a common belief, setting up the author’s argument that this belief is wrong. While many people think personal conflicts are unavoidable, the main conclusion is the author’s argument against this belief: that personal conflicts aren't inevitable.
B
Even when there is more evidence of good qualities than of bad ones, people find it easier to ascribe bad qualities than good ones.
This is a premise. It supports the author’s conclusion that personal conflicts aren't inevitable but arise because people act irrationally. The statement that people “find it easier to ascribe bad qualities than good ones” gives an example of this irrational behavior.
C
It is irrational to allow a single instance to turn one’s suspicion that a friend is unreliable into a feeling of certainty.
This is a premise. The idea that it's irrational to let one instance make one certain a friend is unreliable backs up the author’s claim that humans act irrationally. This, in turn, supports the main argument that personal conflicts happen because of this irrational behavior.
D
Personal conflicts are not inevitable.
This accurately rephrases the main conclusion. The author argues that personal conflicts are not inevitable, even though many people think they are, and concludes that the belief in their inevitability is "just not so."
E
Unlike a suspicion that a friend is unreliable, a belief that someone is reliable is normally built up only after many years of personal interaction.
This is a premise. It supports the conclusion that personal conflicts aren't inevitable but arise because people act irrationally. The idea that it takes years to trust a friend but only one mistake to doubt that friend provides an example of people’s irrational behavior.

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LSAT PrepTest 138 Explanations

Section 1 - Reading Comprehension

Section 2 - Logical Reasoning

Section 3 - Logical Reasoning

Section 4 - Logical Reasoning

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