LSAT 147 – Section 4 – Question 04

LSAT 147 - Section 4 - Question 04

September 2016

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Question
QuickView		 Type Tags Answer
Choices		 Curve Question
Difficulty		 Psg/Game/S
Difficulty		 Explanation
PT147 S4 Q04
+LR
Sufficient assumption +SA
Conditional Reasoning +CondR
Link Assumption +LinkA
A
90%
164
B
1%
150
C
3%
154
D
1%
144
E
5%
154
141
147
153
 +Medium 146.282 +SubsectionMedium

Economist: Unemployment will soon decrease. If total government spending significantly increases next year, the economy will be stimulated in the short term and unemployment will decrease. If, on the other hand, total government spending significantly decreases next year, businesses will retain more of their earnings in the short term and employ more workers, thereby decreasing unemployment.

Summary
The author concludes that unemployment will soon decrease. This is based on the following:
If total gov. spending significantly increases next year, unemployment will decrease.
If total gov. spending significantly decreases next year, unemployment will decrease.

Missing Connection
We have two triggers that can prove unemployment will decrease — gov. spending significantly increases or it significantly decreases next year. But do we know that either of those will actually occur? No. So to make the argument valid, we want to know that next year, gov. spending will significantly increase or it will significantly decrease.

A
Either total government spending will significantly decrease next year or else total government spending will significantly increase next year.
(A) establishes that one of the two triggers for a decrease in unemployment will occur. So it must be true that unemployment will decrease next year.
B
Government officials are currently implementing policies that are intended to reduce unemployment.
(B) doesn’t establish that one of the two triggers for a decrease in unemployment will occur.
C
If there is a significantly increased demand for workers, then there will be a significant decrease in unemployment.
Although (C) tells us that IF there’s a significant increase in demand for workers, there will be a significant decrease in unemployment, we don’t have a premise establishing that there will be a significant increase in demand for workers.
D
A significant increase in total government spending will slow the economy in the long run.
(D) doesn’t establish that one of the two triggers for a decrease in unemployment will occur.
E
If the economy is not stimulated and businesses do not retain more of their earnings, then unemployment will not decrease.
(E) doesn’t establish that one of the two triggers for a decrease in unemployment will occur. (E) is designed to reach a conclusion that unemployment will NOT decrease. But we’re trying to show that unemployment WILL decrease.

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LSAT PrepTest 147 Explanations

Section 1 - Logical Reasoning

Section 2 - Reading Comprehension

Section 3 - Reading Comprehension

Section 4 - Logical Reasoning

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