Logical ReasoningDifficulty: Medium

PT113 S4 Q14 Explanation

The fact that politicians in

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

TopicsParallel

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Stimulus

The fact that politicians in a certain country are trying to reduce government spending does not by itself explain why they have voted to eliminate all government-supported scholarship programs. Government spending could have been had cut back on military spending.

What this question is testing

Parallel

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
14.

Which one of the following arguments is most similar in its reasoning to

Answer choices

  1. Trap2% picked this

    The fact that Phyllis does not make much money at her new job does not by itself explain why she refuses to buy expensive

  2. Trap3% picked this

    The fact that Brooks has a part-time job does not by itself explain why he is doing poorly in school. Many students with part-time

  3. Trap18% picked this

    The fact that Sallie and Jim have different work styles does not by itself explain why they could not work together. Sallie and Jim

  4. Trap4% picked this

    The fact that Roger wanted more companionship does not by itself explain why he adopted ten cats last year. He would not have adopted

  5. Correct73% picked this

    The fact that Thelma’s goal is to become famous does not by itself explain why she took up theatrical acting. It is easier to

    Why this is right

    Answer E is correct.

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

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