Logical Reasoning

PT114 · S4 · Q26 Tony: A short story is little

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

Tony: A short story is little more than a novelist’s sketch pad.

Tony's 1st Claim

A short story is little more than a novelist's sketch pad. Does R disagree?

No, no comment on whether that's a fair analogy.

Tony's 2nd Claim

Only a novel can depict human lives accurately (because it is long enough to have narrative structures that allow personalities to gradually develop). Does R disagree?

Yes, because he thinks .

Evaluate / Goal

They seem to be arguing over whether novels or short stories are better at depicting human lives faithfully / accurately.

Since that disconnect is pretty explicit, the correct answer might test the underlying rationale for the disconnect.

In other words, they're arguing over whether

26.

The dialogue most supports the claim that Tony and Raoul disagree about whether

  1. Correct

    human lives are best understood

    Why this is right

    This tests the underlying difference that explains the explicit difference (Disagree questions tend to do this, if there is too obvious of a difference between the two positions). We knew they disagreed about whether novels or short stories were better at depicting human life, and the implicit assumption of each person was this: Tony -- "if you're not portraying characters whose personalities gradually develop through life experience, then you're not depicting human lives accurately". Raoul -- "it is not accurate to say that life is a linear process. It's a series of completely disjointed vignettes." So Raoul would agree with this answer choice and Tony would disagree.

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

    71% picked this

  2. novels and short stories employ

    Both Would Disagree

    Neither person would support this idea. They both seem to acknowledge that novels use "linear process of personality development" to depict human lives and that short stories don't.

    14% picked this

  3. novels usually depict gradual changes

    Too Specific: usually

    We can't derive from either person's statements that more than 50% of novels depict gradual changes in characters' personalities.

    6% picked this

  4. only short stories are used

    Too Strong: only

    We can't derive from either person's statements that only short stories are used as sketch pads.

    2% picked this

  5. short stories provide glimpses of

    No Support Person 1

    We have no idea from Tony's comments how he would feel about this claim. He doesn't think short stories accurately depict human lives, but he still has plenty of room to agree that "short stories provide glimpses of usually-hidden facets of character".

    8% 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