LSAT 115 – Section 4 – Question 08

LSAT 115 - Section 4 - Question 08

December 2002

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Question
QuickView		 Type Tags Answer
Choices		 Curve Question
Difficulty		 Psg/Game/S
Difficulty		 Explanation
PT115 S4 Q08
+LR
Method of reasoning or descriptive +Method
Link Assumption +LinkA
Analogy +An
A
0%
149
B
0%
152
C
2%
155
D
96%
162
E
1%
156
120
120
133
 +Easiest 146.173 +SubsectionMedium

Jorge: You won’t be able to write well about the rock music of the 1960s, since you were just an infant then. Rock music of the 1960s was created by and for people who were then in their teens and early twenties.

Ruth: Your reasoning is absurd. There are living writers who write well about ancient Roman culture, even though those writers are obviously not a part of ancient Roman culture. Why should my youth alone prevent me from writing well about the music of a period as recent as the 1960s?

Summarize Argument: Counter-Position
Ruth concludes that Jorge is “absurd” to claim that Ruth will be unable to write well about music created while she was a baby. To support her position, Ruth draws an analogy to modern authors who write well about ancient historical eras long before the authors were born.

Describe Method of Reasoning
Ruth counters Jorge’s argument by analogizing with a similar case where Jorge’s reasoning clearly doesn’t hold up. By showing that Jorge’s reasoning doesn’t work in the analogous case, Ruth undermines its application to her own case.

A
challenging his claim that she was not in her teens or early twenties during the 1960s
Ruth simply doesn’t make this claim. Her point is that it doesn’t matter that she was an infant during the 1960s.
B
clarifying a definition of popular culture that is left implicit in Jorge’s argument
Ruth never offers a definition of popular culture, nor does Jorge discuss popular culture at all.
C
using the example of classical culture in order to legitimize contemporary culture as an object worthy of serious consideration
Ruth doesn’t mention trying to legitimize contemporary culture—she does use classical culture as an example, but it’s to demonstrate that people can write well about a culture they weren’t part of.
D
offering an analogy to counter an unstated assumption of Jorge’s argument
Ruth offers an analogy with authors writing about ancient Roman culture, in order to counter Jorge’s assumption that people can’t write well about a culture they weren’t part of. This is how she concludes that Jorge’s argument is “absurd.”
E
casting doubt on her opponent’s qualification to make judgments about popular culture
Ruth never discusses Jorge’s qualifications, to judge popular culture or to do anything else. Not to mention, Jorge doesn’t actually make any judgments about popular culture.

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LSAT PrepTest 115 Explanations

Section 1 - Reading Comprehension

Section 2 - Logical Reasoning

Section 3 - Reading Comprehension

Section 4 - Logical Reasoning

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