LSAT 13 - Section 2 - Question 17

Here we have a Method of Reasoning question, which we know from the question stem: “The sales manager counters the production manager’s argument by…”

After correctly identifying the question type we can use structural analysis to describe the Method of Reasoning used by our speaker. Immediately we should note we have two speakers in our stimulus. That means we need to be on the lookout for two conclusions and two sets of explanations. The production manager begins by explaining there are safety risks associated with the business’s current products. Thus, the production manager concludes, the company should instead produce only the new safe version of their product.

The sales manager disagrees with this position. Using a hypothetical the second speaker explains that without money, they cannot produce a safer product. This leads to the sales manager’s ultimate conclusion that the safer product cannot be a market success without continuing production of the less safe product.

Our second speaker furthers their point by laying out a hypothetical with a negative outcome - a world where we follow the production manager’s recommendations but ultimately end up without being able to produce the safer product everyone desires.

Knowing our correct answer choice will discuss the sales manager’s use of a hypothetical and the potential negative consequences of the alternative, we can proceed into answer choice elimination.

Correct Answer Choice (A) This is exactly what we are looking for! This is the only answer choice that points out what the sales manager knows is an issue – the existence of the safer product depends on the success in the market of the less safe product.

Answer Choice (B) If our speaker were challenging the authority of someone, we would anticipate language questioning someone’s qualifications or experience. Without this information we can eliminate answer choice B from consideration.

Answer Choice (C) This answer choice accuses our speaker of a conclusion far beyond what we can find in the sales manager’s argument. Instead of assuming that a product is safe because it is comparatively safer than another product, our speakers are concerned with the ability to produce the products at all.

Answer Choice (D) We do not see any sort of suggested change in standards by which the safety of these products is judged.

Answer Choice (E) There is nowhere in the discussion where we see the potential impact of technology arise as some sort of reasoning for the conclusion. Without this information, we can eliminate answer choice E.