LSAT 143 – Section 1 – Question 24

LSAT 143 - Section 1 - Question 24

June 2015

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Question
QuickView		 Type Tags Answer
Choices		 Curve Question
Difficulty		 Psg/Game/S
Difficulty		 Explanation
PT143 S1 Q24
+LR
Flaw or descriptive weakening +Flaw
Causal Reasoning +CausR
Kick It Up +KIU
A
14%
159
B
4%
155
C
4%
157
D
7%
158
E
72%
166
151
157
163
 +Harder 148.401 +SubsectionMedium

Researcher: People who participate in opinion surveys often give answers they believe the opinion surveyor expects to hear, and it is for this reason that some opinion surveys do not reflect the actual views of those being surveyed. However, in well-constructed surveys, the questions are worded so as to provide respondents with no indication of which answers the surveyor might expect. So if a survey is well constructed, survey respondents’ desire to meet surveyors’ expectations has no effect on the survey’s results.

Summarize Argument
The author concludes that if a survey is well constructed, survey respondents’ desire to meet surveyors’ expectations won’t affect the survey’s results. This is based on the fact that in well-constructed surveys the way questions are worded don’t indicate the kind of answer that the surveyor might expect.

Identify and Describe Flaw
The author overlooks the possibility that a respondents’ answers can still be affected by desire to meet the surveyor’s expectations, even if the questions don’t indicate the surveyor’s expectations. Perhaps, for example, the respondent might form a belief about the surveyor’s expectations through other aspects of the survey besides the questions.

A
an opinion survey that disguises the surveyor’s expectations may be flawed in a number of ways, some of which have nothing to do with the surveyor’s expectations
The conclusion is only concerned with whether the desire to meet expectations will affect the results. Whether there are other ways a survey can be flawed doesn’t affect whether the desire to meet expectations will affect results in a well-constructed survey.
B
when people who respond to opinion surveys hold strong opinions, their answers are unlikely to be influenced by other people’s expectations
(B) points out the possibility that respondents’ answers are UNlikely to influenced. This doesn’t point out a flaw, because we’re trying to show why respondents’ views still CAN be affected by the surveyor’s expectations.
C
many opinion surveyors have no expectations whatsoever regarding the answers of people who respond to surveys
This possibility doesn’t undermine the argument’s reasoning. If many surveyors have no expectations, that doesn’t help show why respondents’ desire to meet expectations actually could affect results.
D
some people who know what answers an opinion surveyor expects to hear will purposefully try to thwart the surveyor’s expectations
The conclusion concerns whether a desire to MEET expectations will affect survey results. The desire to “thwart” expectations involves a desire NOT to meet expectations; this is about a different issue that the conclusion isn’t concerned with.
E
the answers of opinion-survey respondents can be influenced by beliefs about the surveyor’s expectations even if those beliefs are unfounded
This possibility shows how a desire to meet expectations can still affect the results, even if the questions don’t indicate the expectations. The respondent might just wrongly assume what the surveyor expects, and answer in a way that meets those assumed expectations.

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LSAT PrepTest 143 Explanations

Section 1 - Logical Reasoning

Section 2 - Reading Comprehension

Section 3 - Logical Reasoning

Section 4 - Logical Reasoning

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