PT20.S4.Q20 - The national land-reclamation program

Ashley2018-1

Are there two flaws in this stimulus? Armand is a mathematician so interior ministry isn’t his area of expertise and even if he doesn’t think the program is successful it doesn’t necessarily mean the figures are inaccurate?
The thing I don’t get is that are we supposed to assume because it isn’t your area of expertise you don’t know mu fb about it?

Admin Note: https://7sage.com/lsat_explanations/lsat-20-section-4-question-20/

canihazJD

It's not that you assume they know nothing about it, its that you can't assume that they do know enough. Citing irrelevant expertise is not adequate support.

Contrast with AC C, where the expertise is more relevant. The Dr. could still be wrong but the relevant expertise makes the argument more credible.

Ashley2018-1

For answer choice C, isn't it still a little different from the stimulus? The doctor didn't say he didn't hold his breath, he said it's physiologically impossible. If the doctor said he didn't hold his breath, and the conclusion remained the same, would that still make this answer choice incorrect?
Is Armand's experience irrelevant because he's a mathematician and the subject at hand is about farming?

Chris Nguyen

Hey!

So yes, (C) would still be incorrect, because it's about the relevant expertise the cardiopulmonologist has. (C) has to do with breathing, and a doctor that specializes in breathing would be considered an expert in that field.

We do not know if Senator Armand is an expert in farming, so to answer your second question, yes, that is the reason why Armand's experience is irrelevant.