Logical Reasoning

PT101 · S2 · Q5 Altogether, the students in Ms

A free, expert breakdown of this official LSAT Logical Reasoning question.

  • Save & drill this skill build targeted practice sets from questions like this one

  • Video walkthroughs watch every question solved step by step

  • 81 official LSATs as questions, timed sections & full-length tests

Altogether, the students in Ms. Tarnowski’s Milton Elementary School class collected more aluminum cans than did the students in any of the school’s other classes.

Conclusion (Therefore)

The Milton student who collected the most aluminum cans was in Ms. T's class.

Evidence

The students in Ms. T's class collected a higher total of aluminum cans than did the students in any of the other classes.

Evaluate

Conversationally, this is an easy argument to beat. Ms. T doesn't have to have the #1 student, just because she collectively has the #1 class. It's very common for Team A to have more total points in a basketball game (i.e. they won), even though the person with the most point in the game played for Team B.

Similarly, it might be that none of Ms. T's students were superstars at collecting cans, but they all did solid work and that cumulatively got them the win. Meanwhile, the student with the most cans is some superstar in Mr. X's class, but the rest of those students slacked off.

However, we need to put this in abstract form. Like many Parallel Flaw questions, this is testing one of the 10 Famous Flaws. Whenever we see a certain trait is being recycled in the premise and the conclusion,

e.g. X collected the most aluminum cans. Therefore, Y collected the most aluminum cans

... we can tell the author is assuming .

In this argument,

Goal

Look for an argument assuming something like, "If it's true about the whole group, then it's true about the #1 individual from the group (or any individual from the group -- the correct answer might not be that closely matching, but it will replicate a move from Whole to Part).

5.

Which one of the following arguments contains flawed reasoning that is most parallel to that in the argument above?

  1. Altogether, more trees were planted

    Bad Conclusion Match Bad Validity Match

    This conclusion is about a group (Mr. Kelly's students), whereas we want to see a conclusion that is about an individual. Also, this is a valid argument, whereas we want a flawed one.

    2% picked this

  2. More than half of Milton

    Bad Conclusion/Evidence Match

    This conclusion is about every single person in a group (every student at Milton). We want to see a conclusion that is about an individual. And the evidence should be a fact about a group, but it's really two facts about different subgroups. This argument is flawed for mathematical, Venn diagram reasons. The author fails to consider a significant overlap between these two groups. That's not the same as Whole to Part.

    1% picked this

  3. Mr. Rowe’s Milton Elementary School

    Bad Conclusion Match

    This conclusion is about a group (Mr. Rowe's class), whereas we want to see a conclusion that is about an individual.

    1% picked this

  4. Correct

    The total number of tickets

    Why this is right

    This is the only conclusion about an individual, so this problem was a great opportunity to use the Conclusion Match shortcut. This makes a very similar Whole to Part move. Because "#1 ticket seller" is true of Ms. R's whole class, the author assumes that "#1 ticket seller" would be true of one part of Ms. R's class, her top ticket-selling student. We know that Ms. R's class as whole sold more tickets than any other class, but that doesn't mean that the #1 ticket seller in the school was part of Ms. R's class. She may have had a solid group that all did great, but no one who was extraordinary. Meanwhile, Ms. R's class could still beat out a class that had the #1 ticket seller and a bunch of deadbeat other students.

    Skill tested: Parallel Flaw · how this choice captures the argument's function is the move to repeat next time.

    96% picked this

  5. Ms. Ventura’s Milton Elementary School

    Bad Conclusion Match

    This conclusion is about a group (Ms. Ventura's students, on average), whereas we want to see a conclusion that is about an individual.

    1% picked this

Continue the review in LSAT Lab

Save this question, watch the video walkthrough, and drill similar questions in your LSAT Lab account.

LSAT Lab

Turn this review into a targeted study plan.

Save this question, drill more like it, watch the video walkthrough, and track your progress in your LSAT Lab account.

Start practicing free