LSAT 16 – Section 3 – Question 26

LSAT 16 - Section 3 - Question 26

September 1995

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Question
QuickView		 Type Tags Answer
Choices		 Curve Question
Difficulty		 Psg/Game/S
Difficulty		 Explanation
PT16 S3 Q26
+LR
Flaw or descriptive weakening +Flaw
A
83%
168
B
3%
156
C
4%
157
D
1%
157
E
10%
162
144
153
162
 +Harder 147.952 +SubsectionMedium

Here we have a flaw question, which we know from the question stem: “Which one of the following is an error of reasoning committed by the argument?” Right away we know our correct answer has to do two things: be descriptively accurate, and describe the flaw of the stimulus. We also know what the wrong answers will do - describe reasoning flaws we’ve seen before, but don’t like up with our stimulus. Once we have a clear understanding of the questrion’s objective, we can proceed into structural analysis of the stimulus.

The stimulus begins with the author’s conclusion; the government has no right to tax earnings from labor. This conclusion follows with the reasoning of the argument. Taxes would require the employee to work for another’s purpose (the government) and it therefore meets one of the qualifications of indentured servitude. This connects back to our overall conclusion because the speaker uses the connection between taxes and indentured servitude to justify a moratorium on taxing labor.

By using indentured servitude as the reasoning for the main point our author is already making an assumption. If this type of work brings us to a conclusion about taxes, our argument assumes that these are two very comparable things. But we don’t know they share every quality – only that both taxing and indentured servitude are both working for another’s purpose. Perhaps taxation includes some sort of greater benefit that would make it ideal despite technically working for “another’s purpose.”

Knowing that our correct answer choice will identify the assumption being made between taxation and servitude, we can jump into answer choice elimination.

Correct Answer Choice (A) This is exactly what we are looking for! This is the only descriptively correct answer choice that references the problem of only considering one part of the definition of the terms in the stimulus. This strongly connects to our prediction about the assumed connection between servitude and taxation.

Answer Choice (B) This answer choice is descriptively accurate, but not the ultimate flaw of our stimulus. The taxation rate is not the problem seen between conclusion and explanation. With this emphasis in the answer choice, we can eliminate B.

Answer Choice (C) This answer choice is not descriptively accurate. We do not know that all work in this hypothetical would end up being taxed. But beyond it’s descriptive issues, the problem in our stimulus is not the amount of work being taxed - but rather, that it is being taxed at all.

Answer Choice (D) This answer choice is not descriptively accurate. In addition to that, the taxation of income from investment does not have anything to do with our argument concerning wage taxation.

Answer Choice (E) Subjectivity, or interpretation, is not the issue in this stimulus. Rather, our argument thinks we should use one part rather than focusing on subjectively analyzing them. In addition to not being descriptively accurate, it is not the ultimate issue in our stimulus.

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LSAT PrepTest 16 Explanations

Section 1 - Logic Games

Section 2 - Logical Reasoning

Section 3 - Logical Reasoning

Section 4 - Reading Comprehension

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