LSAT 137 – Section 4 – Question 10

LSAT 137 - Section 4 - Question 10

October 2012

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Question
QuickView		 Type Tags Answer
Choices		 Curve Question
Difficulty		 Psg/Game/S
Difficulty		 Explanation
PT137 S4 Q10
+LR
Weaken +Weak
Link Assumption +LinkA
A
5%
158
B
88%
164
C
0%
152
D
4%
158
E
3%
159
128
140
152
 +Easier 146.883 +SubsectionMedium

Economist: In free market systems, the primary responsibility of corporate executives is to determine a nation’s industrial technology, the pattern of work organization, location of industry, and resource allocation. They also are the decision makers, though subject to significant consumer control, on what is to be produced and in what quantities. In short, a large category of major decisions is turned over to business executives. Thus, business executives have become public officials.

Summarize Argument

The economist concludes that business executives have become public officials. She supports this by saying that business executives are responsible for key decisions like industrial technology, work organization, industry location, and resource allocation. They also decide what and how much to produce, although consumers have some influence.

Notable Assumptions

In order for business executives to be considered public officials, the economist must assume that the “large category of major decisions” that they are responsible for is sufficient for making someone a public official. In other words, she must assume that, just because business executives make these decisions, they are public officials.

A
Most of the decisions made by business executives in free market systems are made by the government in countries with centrally planned economies.

The economist’s argument only addresses business executives in free market systems. So the decision-making in countries with centrally planned economies is not relevant.

B
Making decisions about patterns of work organization, resource allocation, and location of industry is not the core of a public official’s job.

This weakens the economist’s argument by pointing out her key assumption. She assumes that making the decisions mentioned is a sufficient reason to call someone a public official. But if these decisions aren’t the core of a public official’s job, her argument falls apart.

C
The salaries of business executives are commensurate with the salaries of high-ranking public officials.

It doesn’t matter that business executives and high-ranking public officials have similar salaries. We’re only concerned with the decisions made by business executives and whether those decisions make them public officials.

D
What a country produces and in what quantities is not always completely controlled by corporate executives.

We already know that decisions about a country’s production, though made by business executives, are “subject to significant consumer control.” The question is whether making decisions about these things means that business executives are public officials.

E
Public officials and business executives often cooperate in making decisions of national importance.

Whether public officials and business executives work together in making decisions is irrelevant. We need to know if making these decisions is enough reason to say that business executives are public officials.

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LSAT PrepTest 137 Explanations

Section 1 - Reading Comprehension

Section 2 - Logical Reasoning

Section 3 - Logical Reasoning

Section 4 - Logical Reasoning

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