Logical ReasoningDifficulty: Easy

PT117 S3 Q4 Explanation

Maria: Thomas Edison was one

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

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

Maria: Thomas Edison was one of the most productive inventors of his time, perhaps of all time. His contributions significantly shaped the development of modern lighting and communication systems. Yet he had only a few months of formal schooling. education to make crucial contributions to technological advancement.

Frank: That is definitely not true anymore. Since Edison’s day there have been many new developments in technology; to make crucial contributions today you need than was needed then.

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.

Frank’s reasoning in his response to Maria is most vulnerable to criticism on the

Answer choices

  1. Correct93% picked this

    fails to address the possibility that technical knowledge may be acquired

    Why this is right

    Answer A is correct.

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

  2. Trap3% picked this

    does not consider whether there have been improvements in formal education

  3. Trap2% picked this

    relies on using the term “crucial” differently from the way Maria

  4. Trap0% picked this

    presumes that no other inventor of Edison’s time could have been as

  5. Trap2% picked this

    fails to criticize or question any of Maria’s statements

Continue the review in LSAT Lab

Save this question, watch the video walkthrough, and drill similar questions in your LSAT Lab account.

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