Logical ReasoningDifficulty: Easy

PT107 S3 Q21 Explanation

A study of the difference in earnings

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

TopicsParadox

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Full official LSAT questions are available through LawHub. This page provides LSAT Lab's explanation, strategy, and review tools without republishing the full official question.

Stimulus

A study of the difference in earnings between men and women in the country of Naota found that the average annual earnings of women who are employed full time is 80 percent of the average annual earnings of men who are employed full time. However, other research consistently shows that, in Naota, 65 percent of the average annual earnings of all employed men,

What this question is testing

Paradox

Your task

Break the argument into its conclusion and evidence, then do exactly what the question stem asks with that structure.

Common trap

Answers that sound relevant to the topic but don't connect to the argument's actual reasoning.

Winning move

Predict what a right answer must do, then test each choice against the conclusion-evidence gap.

Reading along? Open the full official question in LawHub — we show a fragment here and keep the reasoning in our own words.

The question
21.

Which one of the following, if also established by research, most helps explain the apparent discrepancy between the

Answer choices

  1. Trap3% picked this

    In Naota, the difference between the average annual earnings of all female workers and the average annual earnings of all male workers has been

  2. Trap3% picked this

    In Naota, the average annual earnings of women who work full time in exactly the same occupations and under exactly the same conditions as

  3. Trap8% picked this

    In Naota, a growing proportion of female workers hold full-time managerial, supervisory, or professional positions, and such positions typically pay more than

  4. Correct86% picked this

    In Naota, a larger proportion of female workers than male workers are part-time workers, and part-time workers typically earn

    Why this is right

    Answer D is correct.

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

  5. Trap1% picked this

    In ten other countries where the proportion of women in the work force is similar to that of Naota, the average annual earnings of

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