Logical ReasoningDifficulty: Medium

PT116 S3 Q4 Explanation

Sydonie: Parents differ in their

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

TopicsFlaw

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

Start practicing free

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

Sydonie: Parents differ in their beliefs about the rules to which their children should be subject. So any disciplinary structure in schools is bound to create resentment parental approaches to raising children.

Stephanie: Your conclusion is incorrect; educational research shows that when parents list the things that they most want their children’s schools to provide, high on the list.

What this question is testing

Flaw

Your task

Describe the reasoning error the argument actually commits.

Common trap

Answers that name a real logical flaw the argument doesn't actually make.

Winning move

Articulate the gap in the reasoning yourself, then match it to the choice that describes that 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
4.

Stephanie’s argument is most vulnerable to criticism on the

Answer choices

  1. Bad Objection2% picked this

    it focuses on educational research rather than

    Yes, Stephanie focuses on research rather than practice. But that's not a very good objection to this argument. Educational research presumably reflects and informs educational practice, so this distinction doesn't feel particularly relevant.

  2. Bad Description14% picked this

    it addresses a more general issue than that addressed in

    The scope of the issues in these two arguments is the same: parent's desire for and response to school discipline.

  3. Correct79% picked this

    it does not counter Sydonie’s suggestion that parents have diverse ideas of what

    Why this is right

    Stephanie doesn't counter any of the claims Sydonie actually makes, so this is a good description. It's also a good objection because this hurts Stephanie's argument. Diverse parental ideas about what constitutes good discipline means that even if parents unanimously agree that they want good discipline, they might not agree on what good discipline looks like and may therefore grow resentful if their favorite version of discipline isn't what they see in the schools.

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

  4. Bad Objection4% picked this

    the phrase “high on the list” is not specific enough to give useful information about what parents

    While it's true that "high on the list" is not very specific, it's specific enough to convey that there is widespread agreement among parents that they desire good discipline in schools. Pro tip: Answers that accuse an argument of containing a word or phrase that's too vague are almost always wrong.

  5. Bad Objection1% picked this

    it fails to discuss educators’ attitudes toward discipline

    Does Stephanie discuss educators attitudes? No. But is that a problem? No. We don't need that perspective to make a good rebuttal.

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