PT35.S4.Q23 - older wiser tree rings

dcdcdcdcdc

Hi, coming here from the two comments in the explanations (https://7sage.com/lsat_explanations/lsat-35-section-4-question-23/).

I would really like to get a clear understanding of why choice A is wrong.

The issues raised by JY and others in the comments with choice A also appear to be applicable to choice D (which is correct).

A is wrong because it could be that her daughter is just very wise at birth. Isn't this the same as saying a tree could just start off with a lot of rings? Those both don't seem to interfere with the relationship set out in each: thing gets older, thing gets wiser/gets more rings.

I believe the issue for me boils down to understanding exactly why the relationship in choice A is not a general/universal claim.

As one gets older one gets wiser [than one's earlier self] <-- the correct interpretation
As one gets older one gets wiser [than someone who is younger] <-- wrong interpretation

The older a tree, the more rings it has [as opposed to it's earlier tree-self] <-- the wrong interpretation
The older a tree, the more rings it has [as opposed to any younger tree] <-- the correct interpretation

LSATisland

@dcdcdcdcdc said:
A is wrong because it could be that her daughter is just very wise at birth. Isn't this the same as saying a tree could just start off with a lot of rings?

Hi @dcdcdcdcdc

Yes, it is the same thing as saying a tree could begin with many rings. However, (D) precludes that possibility.

As you suggest, (A) is wrong because it is non-relational. (A) says one gets wiser with age, but does not account for wisdom accumulated by other means. This means the statement is non-relational: it only speaks of the same person at two different stages in the same person's life ["as one gets older, one gets wiser"]. Therefore, the conclusion that Henrietta is wiser than her daughter is unsupported, since it assumes a relational wisdom to others that has not been mentioned.

(D) is relational to other trees. (D) differs in saying an older tree "has more rings" than a younger tree. This statement can be applied to a range of trees by inspecting the age of the trees [the older a tree, the more rings it has".

(A) would be analogous if (A) had said that with age "one has more wisdom" than a younger person. But by saying a person "gets wiser", (A) only speaks of a person relative to him or herself, not others: that person is wiser than that same person at a younger age.

dcdcdcdcdc

Thanks for the quick reply @LSATisland

I am slowly coming around to this distinction. It is tough because, as I pointed out at the end of my original post, much of that distinction takes place beyond the written first premise, though it is implied by the grammar and word choice.

The first statement in the correct answer (D) is pretty strongly stating a conditional universal relationship of trees. I think I erred when I read "one" as similar to "a" in the abstract, which would seem to imply all.

Any ideas on how to handle "one?" I would have treated it like we would "someone" or "people" as a group, therefore being "all."

Am hoping that after parsing this question to death my ears will raise up when I come across some subtle distinction about personal development of an individual as compared to a constant rule about a class.

This is a really interesting question because I can usually (after working through them) articulate specific reasons why one is right or wrong, whereas here I can conceptualize those reasons, but they are stuck as being intuitive as opposed to explicitly stated.

LSATisland

No problem @dcdcdcdcdc

The other sign that (A) is non-relational and (D) is relational is that (D), like the stimulus, only uses an adjective "older" = "more rings" [like "higher" = "thinner"].

However, (A) speaks of one getting older and getting wiser which signifies that something is occurring [i.e. aging] to a person, the same person. Aging is a process that occurs. Process occurs in the person; it's non-relational to others.

LSATisland

You are correct that personal development is also an endeavour that is non-relational. One becomes better than one once was. Comparing oneself to others is therefore irrelevant. Growth can only occur in relation to oneself. The comparison to others is artificial and arbitrary: it depends on who you happen to use as a comparator. This only underscores the non-relational aspect of growth.

quinnxzhang

@dcdcdcdcdc, I'm going to echo my comment in the comments section of the video you linked. The stimulus is saying that a place has thinner air than EVERY place in a lower altitude. (D) is saying that a tree has more rings than EVERY tree that it’s older than. (A), however, is NOT saying that a person is wiser than EVERY person he/she is older than. (A) is only saying that a person is wiser than his/her past self.

Regarding your question about when "one" behaves generically, like "someone" or "people", it depends on whether "one" is anaphoric (i.e. bound beforehand). So for example, when I say "one's age can determine one's eligibility to vote", the second "one" is anaphoric and refers back to the first "one". This is analogous to "her" in "Sally's age can determine her eligibility to vote". The "her" in this expression is anaphoric and refers back to "Sally", not any arbitrary female. On the other hand, when "one" is not referring back to anything, it refers generally. For example the expression "one should be careful when driving on ice" has nothing binding the "one", so "one" here is not referring to anything introduced previously, but is rather speaking generally.

@LSATisland, I agree with 99.99% of your answer, but one small nit -- both (A) and (D) are relational. (A) compares an older version of a person with a younger version of that same person. (D) compares an older tree with other, younger trees.

LSATisland

Yes @quinnxzhang I meant relational to an external comparator, not to previous position within same entity. Thanks for the clarification.

nye8870

The longer you apply a flame to a vat of H20 the higher the temp. Vat A has had a flame applied for longer than vat B therefore Vat A is hotter. (Unless....perhaps... Vat A started with a block of ice and vat B started room temp). I think this is wrong in the same way as Choice (A).