PT16.S3.Q15 - the only plants in the garden

The 180 Bro_OVOThe 180 Bro_OVO Alum Inactive ⭐
edited March 2016 in Logical Reasoning 1392 karma
Admin edit: Please do not post LSAT questions word for word.

I'm having trouble with this Fact Pattern and Question Stem.

I'm assuming it is supposed to be faulty because the FP makes the switch from talking about tall tulips to tall plants.

However, we know that tulips are the ONLY plants in the garden. And we also know they are all tulips. How is it faulty to make the step that the only plants in the garden are tall plants?

Comments

  • Accounts PlayableAccounts Playable Live Sage ⭐
    3107 karma
    Are you sure you have the correct question? 15.3.15 according to my PTs is a question about high school students and working 15 hours/week.
  • Accounts PlayableAccounts Playable Live Sage ⭐
    3107 karma
    I think I found it. It's 16.3.15.

    This is a parallel flaw question, and it's a very subtle flaw. This is one of the hardest parallel questions I've seen in a while!

    I think the flaw has to do with the relative nature of "tall." I don't know anything about tulips, but say that on average, tulips grow to 1 inch tall. But, since all of the tulips in this garden are tall, say that these tulips are 5 inches tall.

    However, plants can be hundreds of feet tall (i.e. certain types of trees). Thus, you can't conclude that the plants in the garden are tall because relative to other plants, they could be very small. A tall tulip doesn't necessarily equal a tall plant.

    Answer C is the closest answer choice that mirrors this. Sure, the gorillas in the zoo were small, but maybe they were still pretty large primates relative to other primates.

  • The 180 Bro_OVOThe 180 Bro_OVO Alum Inactive ⭐
    1392 karma
    Absolutely Clutch.

    Thank you!
  • runiggyrunruniggyrun Alum Inactive Sage Inactive ⭐
    2481 karma
    They trick you by mentioning that the tulips are the only plants in the garden. But when they say "all the plants in the garden are tall plants", the plants in the conclusion are relative to the whole world of plants, not just of plants in the garden.
    The only people in Wobegon Kindergarten are 5-year olds. But they are all tall 5-year olds.
    Therefore the people in Wobegon Kindergarten are all tall people.
    Hopefully it's clearer to see why that's not the case in this argument, because it's easier to intuitively "see" how the people in Wobegon K are different from people in general.
  • skrishnanskrishnan Alum Member
    209 karma

    Hi All,

    I seem to be stuck on this question between answer choice A and C.
    Would love an explanation!

    Thanks :)

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