Logical Reasoning

PT101 · S3 · Q26 Columnist on the arts: My elected

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

Start practicing free

Columnist on the arts: My elected government representatives were within their rights to vote to support the arts with tax dollars.

Conclusion

No taxpayers whose tax dollars fund some work of art they find abominable have been treated unfairly.

Evidence

The elected representatives were within their rights to vote to support the arts with tax dollars.

Evaluate

It's hard to call this an argument, because the conclusion comes after a Pivot, not after a Supporting Idea.

When we ask, , we don't really find a good answer. The first sentence at least seems like an answer.

Goal

Let's look for something like, .

Otherwise, look for something that strengthens the idea that it's okay for our tax dollars to get spent on art that we hate.

26.

Which one of the following principles, if valid, most supports the columnist's argument?

  1. Taxpayers should be allowed to

    Opposite

    The principle underlying our argument is more like, "Taxpayers don't get to decide which art gets taxpayer funding, so sometimes art they hate will get funded."

    4% picked this

  2. Correct

    The funding of a particular

    Why this is right

    This gives the us the typical "If Evidence, then Conclusion" answer we expect out of Strengthen-Principle. If an activity is funded Then funding by elected reps who ? of that particular legitimately fund that activity is warranted activity in general The activity we're talking about is "a work of art". Is it weird to call that an activity? Yeah, a bit. Technically, "a work of art" does imply action. In a more common sense view, we know that artists are subsidized by a patron or grant money while they are working on a given work. So it's not like the government pays an artist for a finished product. The government pays the artist to create a finished product. Okay, so the first sentence told us that elected reps are "within their rights to support the arts" (they legitimately fund the activity of art in general). According to this principle, then, the funding of any particular work of art is warranted. Warranted = proper, fair, justified. Thus we're proving that it's fair and just for tax dollars to flow to this controversial particular piece of art, and so the taxpayers who hate the piece of art are nonetheless not being treated unjustly.

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

    69% picked this

  3. Elected representatives are within their

    Out of Scope: majority of constituents

    We already know that elected reps are within their rights to fund the arts in general, so we don't need any principle to tell us that. And the trigger for this rule, "Supported by a majority of constituents" doesn't appear anywhere in the argument.

    14% picked this

  4. Those who resent taxation to

    Unrelated to Goal

    This is a principle that relates to a conclusion about whether or not someone should vote against their incumbent reps. We need a conclusion that's about whether or not it's unjust to fund controversial art with taxpayer money.

    7% picked this

  5. Since taxpayers are free to

    Bad Evidence Match

    This is a principle that relates to a conclusion about whether or not someone should vote against their incumbent reps. We need a conclusion that's about whether or not it's unjust to fund controversial art with taxpayer money.

    7% picked this

Continue the review in LSAT Lab

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

Save and practice this skill
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