LSAT 145 – Section 2 – Question 18

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PT145 S2 Q18
+LR
Flaw or descriptive weakening +Flaw
A
19%
160
B
22%
161
C
4%
160
D
49%
165
E
6%
160
150
164
177
+Hardest 145.859 +SubsectionMedium


J.Y.’s explanation

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Live Commentary

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Historian: Those who claim that Shakespeare did not write the plays commonly attributed to him are motivated purely by snobbery. Shakespeare was the son of a glove maker, whereas every other person proposed as the true author of the plays was an aristocrat, and many of those who argue that one or another of these aristocrats wrote the plays are the aristocrats’ descendants.

Summarize Argument
The author cocnludes that those who claim Shakespeare didn’t write the plays attributed to him are motivated purely by snobbery. This is based on the fact that Shakespeare’s background wasn’t aristocratic, while the backgrounds of those who are proposed as the true authors are aristocratic. In addition, the people saying Shakespeare didn’t write the plays are related to those aristocrats.

Identify and Describe Flaw
The author provides no evidence that the people who claim Shakespeare didn’t write the plays are motivated only by snobbery. Instead, he assumes that their claims result only from the unprestigious background of Shakespeare and the familial ties to those proposed as the true authors. This overlooks the possibility that those who claim Shakespeare was not the author are motivated partly by things besides snobbery.

A
presumes, without providing justification, that a claim cannot be true if those who advance it are motivated by snobbery
The author’s argument doesn’t concern whether claims about Shakespeare’s authorship are true. The conclusion is only about the motivation of those who claim Shakespeare did not author the plays.
B
takes for granted that anyone who is motivated purely by snobbery cannot also be motivated by legitimate historical evidence
Logically, one who is motivated “purely” by snobbery can’t be motivated by anything else. So (B) isn’t an assumption. In any case, the author doesn’t assume what happens IF one is motivated purely by snobbery. He assumes that something implies one is motivated purely by snobbery.
C
fails to consider adequately the possible motives of those who claim that Shakespeare did write the plays commonly attributed to him
The argument concerns those who claim Shakespeare did not write the plays. There is no assumption concerning those who claim Shakespeare DID write the plays.
D
fails to exclude the possibility that there might be legitimate evidence motivating those who reject Shakespeare’s authorship
This possibility shows why the conclusion doesn’t follow. There might be legitimate evidence concerning authorship that is motivating those who say Shakespeare didn’t write the plays. If so, this means they are not motivated “purely” by snobbery.
E
makes use of an assumption that one would accept only if one has already accepted the truth of the conclusion
(E) is akin to circular reasoning. But the author doesn’t assume anything that restates the conclusion.

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