LSAT 144 – Section 3 – Question 15

LSAT 144 - Section 3 - Question 15

October 2015

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Question
QuickView		 Type Tags Answer
Choices		 Curve Question
Difficulty		 Psg/Game/S
Difficulty		 Explanation
PT144 S3 Q15
+LR
+Exp
Flaw or descriptive weakening +Flaw
Sampling +Smpl
Part v. Whole +PvW
A
74%
164
B
2%
158
C
16%
157
D
7%
158
E
0%
152
141
151
161
 +Medium 145.106 +SubsectionEasier

Advertisement: In a carefully controlled study, blindfolded volunteers were divided evenly into five groups. Each volunteer tasted Sparkle Cola and one of five competing colas, each group tasting a different cola. Most of the volunteers said they preferred Sparkle Cola to the competing cola tasted. This shows that Sparkle Cola elicits a more favorable response from consumers than any of the competing colas tested.

Summarize Argument
In a study, volunteers were evenly divided into five groups. Each group tasted Sparkle Cola and one of five competing colas, with each group tasting a different one of the competing colas. Most people in the study said they preferred Sparkle compared to the other cola they tasted. The author concludes from this that Sparkle got a more favorable response from people in the study than any of the competing colas tested.

Identify and Describe Flaw
We know most consumers picked Sparkle as tasting better. But this doesn’t mean for every competing cola, most picked Sparkle. For example, perhaps one cola was picked by everyone who tasted it, but the other 4 competing colas lost out to Sparkle. The claim that “most” consumers preferred Sparkle applies to the overall study, not each individual matchup between Sparkle and a competing cola.

A
It overlooks the possibility that a generalization true of the entire group of volunteers was not true of each of the five smaller groups.
“Most” of the volunteers preferred Sparkle is a generalization true of the entire group of volunteers. But it’s not necessarily true of each of the five smaller groups. So one of the groups might have preferred their competing cola over Sparkle.
B
It takes for granted that most of the volunteers would buy Sparkle Cola rather than one of the other colas tasted, at least in situations where Sparkle Cola is not much more expensive.
The conclusion only concerns whether Sparkle elicited a more favorable response during the taste tests in the study. The conclusion doesn’t concern whether people would buy Sparkle.
C
It overlooks the possibility that some cola not tested in the study would have elicited a more favorable response than Sparkle Cola.
The conclusion only concerns the comparison between Sparkle and “the competing colas tested.” It doesn’t assert anything about colas that were not tested in the study.
D
It overlooks the possibility that many people may prefer Sparkle Cola to competing colas for reasons such as the packaging or price of Sparkle Cola, rather than its taste.
The argument only concerns the response of Sparkle Cola vs. the competing colas based on the taste tests in the study. Whether people might prefer Sparkle for reasons besides taste was not part of the study and isn’t part of the conclusion.
E
It is based on a study that does not elicit consumers’ responses to any beverages other than colas.
The conclusion is concerned only with colas. So the fact the study didn’t investigate non-colas is irrelevant.

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LSAT PrepTest 144 Explanations

Section 1 - Reading Comprehension

Section 2 - Logical Reasoning

Section 3 - Logical Reasoning

Section 4 - Logical Reasoning

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