LSAT 157 – Section 2 – Question 16

LSAT 157 - Section 2 - Question 16

June 2020

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Question
QuickView		 Type Tags Answer
Choices		 Curve Question
Difficulty		 Psg/Game/S
Difficulty		 Explanation
PT157 S2 Q16
+LR
Sufficient assumption +SA
A
3%
147
B
21%
151
C
1%
142
D
12%
149
E
63%
162
142
151
161
 +Medium 143.482 +SubsectionEasier

Child psychologist: Psychologists have found that most children under the age of six are egocentric and selfish in their attitudes toward animals. Ordinarily, it is only between the ages of six and nine that children begin to understand that animals are independent creatures with their own feelings and needs. Hence, most children should not have pets until they are at least six years old.

Summary
The author concludes that most children shouldn’t have pets until they’re at least 6 years old. Why?
Because most children under 6 are egocentric and selfish in their attitudes toward animals.
In addition, most children under 6 don’t understand that animals are independent creatures with their own feelings and needs.

Missing Connection
The conclusion brings up a new concept — shouldn’t have pets. The premises don’t say anything about who shouldn’t have pets. So, at a minimum, the correct answer needs to tell us about people who shouldn’t have pets.
To go further, we can anticipate a more specific connection between the premises and the conclusion. Any answer that connects a feature we know about most children under 6 to “should not have pets” can be correct:
If one is egocentric and selfish in attitudes toward animals, then one shouldn’t have a pet.
or
If one doesn’t understand that animals are independent creatures with their own feelings and needs, then one shouldn’t have a pet.

A
Most children who are egocentric and selfish in their attitudes towards animals rely on others to take care of a pet.
(A) doesn’t establish anything about who shouldn’t have a pet. Since neither this answer nor the premises establish who shouldn’t have a pet, it can’t make the argument valid.
B
Children who are old enough to understand that animals are independent creatures with their own feelings and needs should be allowed to have pets.
(B) allows us to conclude that certain children SHOULD be allowed to have pets. But we’re trying to prove that certain children should NOT be allowed to have pets. (B) is the sufficiency/necessity confused version of what we want.
C
Most children who are egocentric and selfish in their attitudes towards animals do not have pets.
(C) doesn’t establish anything about who shouldn’t have a pet. Since neither this answer nor the premises establish who shouldn’t have a pet, it can’t make the argument valid.
D
Most children are egocentric and selfish in their attitudes towards their pets and do not understand that their pets are independent creatures with their own feelings and needs.
(D) doesn’t establish anything about who shouldn’t have a pet. Since neither this answer nor the premises establish who shouldn’t have a pet, it can’t make the argument valid.
E
The only children who should have pets are those who understand that their pets are independent creatures with their own feelings and needs.
(E) establishes that in order for a child to be one that should have a pet, the child must understand the pet is an independent creature. Since we know from the premises that most children under 6 don’t understand this, (E) allows us to conclude that most children under 6 shouldn’t have a pet.

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LSAT PrepTest 157 Explanations

Section 1 - Reading Comprehension

Section 2 - Logical Reasoning

Section 3 - Logical Reasoning

Section 4 - Reading Comprehension

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