LSAT 156 – Section 2 – Question 06

LSAT 156 - Section 2 - Question 06

July 2020

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Question
QuickView		 Type Tags Answer
Choices		 Curve Question
Difficulty		 Psg/Game/S
Difficulty		 Explanation
PT156 S2 Q06
+LR
Weaken +Weak
A
3%
147
B
2%
145
C
6%
149
D
63%
159
E
27%
154
132
148
164
 +Medium 145.275 +SubsectionEasier

Some psychologists claim that empathic responses are forms of moral behavior. Having observed that young children who witness another’s distress respond by expressing sadness and offering help, these psychologists believe that moral behavior begins early in life. A second group of psychologists claims that empathic response is not, by itself, moral behavior and that in order to count as moral, behavior must be based on a clear understanding of moral principles and a certain degree of moral reasoning skill. On the basis of children’s unsophisticated verbal responses to hypothetical moral dilemmas, these psychologists conclude that children lack the degree of moral reasoning skill necessary for their behavior, however compassionate, to be considered moral.

Summarize Argument
A group of psychologists argues that young children’s compassionate behavior in certain situations demonstrates that moral behavior begins early in life. A second group of psychologists disagrees, claiming that an empathetic response (by itself) is not a moral behavior. They argue that moral behavior requires an understanding of moral principles and reasoning skills, which the children lack based on their unsophisticated verbal responses to hypothetical dilemmas.

Notable Assumptions
The children’s verbal responses to the hypothetical dilemmas accurately measures their moral reasoning skills.

A
The children studied by the second group of psychologists displayed a slightly higher level of moral reasoning when they were well rested than when they were tired.
That some children displayed “slightly higher” levels of reasoning when they were well-rested does not impact the argument. The argument is focused on whether the children’s responses to hypothetical dilemmas indicate their moral reasoning abilities.
B
Adults who respond to hypothetical moral dilemmas display a much higher level of moral reasoning than do children who responded to the same hypothetical moral dilemmas.
If anything, this supports the argument by showing that moral reasoning develops later in life. It does not cast doubt on the claim that *children* lack moral reasoning skills.
C
The children studied by the second group of psychologists displayed a slightly higher level of moral reasoning in response to hypothetical dilemmas involving adults than in response to hypothetical dilemmas involving children.
This only details some variation in how the children responded to certain hypotheticals. It does nothing to cast doubt on the second group of psychologists’ main conclusion.
D
In actual situations involving moral dilemmas, children display a much higher level of moral reasoning than did the children who, in the study by the second group of psychologists, responded only to hypothetical dilemmas.
This calls out a key assumption and gets to the heart of the argument’s reasoning. This suggests that the children’s verbal responses to hypothetical dilemmas do not accurately reflect their reasoning in real-life situations.
E
Some adults who respond to hypothetical moral dilemmas reason at about the same level as children who respond to the same hypothetical moral dilemmas.
A comparison between children and adults does nothing to weaken the argument. The argument hinges on children’s subpar response to hypothetical dilemmas and that “proving” that they do not have moral reasoning.

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LSAT PrepTest 156 Explanations

Section 1 - Reading Comprehension

Section 2 - Logical Reasoning

Section 3 - Reading Comprehension

Section 4 - Logical Reasoning

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