Currently, the city of Grimchester

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

TopicsMust be True

Keep going in LSAT Lab

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

Free to start

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

Currently, the city of Grimchester is liable for any injury incurred because of a city sidewalk in need of repair or maintenance. However, Grimchester’s sidewalks are so extensive that it is impossible to hire enough employees to locate and eliminate every potential danger in its sidewalks. Governments should be liable for about the danger beforehand and negligently failed to eliminate it.

What this question is testing

Must be True

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

Which one of the following describes an injury for which the city of Grimchester is now liable, but should not be according to

Answer choices

Fails "shouldn't be liable"16% picked this
A person is injured after tripping on a badly uneven city sidewalk, and the city administration had been repeatedly informed of the need to
This is something G would currently be liable for. But we can't say that they shouldn't be liable for this. Since they've been repeatedly informed, we won't be able to trigger the idea of "if they didn't know about it, they shouldn't be liable".
16%
Fails "is liable"8% picked this
A person is injured after tripping over a shopping bag that someone had left lying in the
Being injured by a shopping bag lying in the sidewalk is not something the city would be presently liable for, because the injury didn't come because a sidewalk needed repairs or maintenance.
8%
Correct69% picked this
A person is injured after stepping in a large hole in a city sidewalk, and the city administration had first learned of the need
Why this is right
Because the injury came from a hole in a city sidewalk, Grimchester is presently liable for this. But because they didn't have time to repair it (they only learned of it minutes before), we can't say that the city was negligent in failing to eliminate the danger. If they weren't negligent, then they shouldn't be liable.
Skill tested: Must be True · how this choice captures the argument's function is the move to repeat next time.
69%
Fails "is liable"5% picked this
A person who is heavily intoxicated is injured after falling on a perfectly even city sidewalk
Being injured because you stumble over drunk is not something the city would be presently liable for, because the injury didn't come because a sidewalk needed repairs or maintenance.
5%
Fails "is liable"1% picked this
A person riding a bicycle on a city sidewalk is injured after swerving to avoid a pedestrian who had walked in front
Being injured because you swerved to miss a pedestrian, is not something the city would be presently liable for, because the injury didn't come because a sidewalk needed repairs or maintenance.
1%

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