Logical Reasoning

PT120 · S1 · Q16 Essayist: Many people are hypocritical

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

Essayist: Many people are hypocritical in that they often pretend to be more morally upright than they really are.

Statements

Many people say they're more morally upright than they are.

Conditionals (When = sufficient indicator)

Hypocrisy → embarrassed → motivates ppl exposed by moral lapse to be better

Hypocrisy → Fosters belief → motivates ppl not exposed most ppl good to be good

Evaluate

We're given binary triggers: When you have a set of binary triggers, you're guaranteed that one or the other will be triggered.

So if there's any common denominator to the right sides, then we can infer that "In Either Case, Z will happen."

Is there a common denominator to these two right sides? Yes, they both end in people being motivated to become better people / to try to be good.

Goal

Let's look for something like .

16.

The essayist's statements, if true, most strongly support which one of the following?

  1. The existence of hypocrisy encourages

    Too Strong: the existence of

    We could possibly say that the exposure of hypocrisy leads people to see that we all will have moral lapses. But when hypocrisy is not exposed, it fosters the belief that most people are good. We don't have any support for the idea that unexposed hypocrisy leads people to think "everyone has some moral faults". Thus, it's too strong to say that the mere existence of hypocrisy encourages people to think that none of us are morally perfect.

    1% picked this

  2. Correct

    The existence of hypocrisy encourages

    Why this is right

    Whether hypocrisy is exposed or not, it leads to motivation (i.e. encouragement) to be better / to try to be good (i.e. to live by moral standards). We had binary triggers, so we know that one or the other will always be triggered, and their common denominator was motivating people to be better. Hypocrisy → embarrassed → motivates ppl exposed by moral lapse to be better Hypocrisy → Fosters belief → motivates ppl not exposed most ppl good to be good

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

    83% picked this

  3. The existence of hypocrisy in

    Out of Scope: encourages lapses

    The only motivation / encouragement we talk about in the passage is encouraging people to be better people / to try to be good.

    6% picked this

  4. The hiding of hypocrisy is

    Out of Scope: better way

    We have no way to rank which of these trigger ideas is the better one. Both of them lead to motivating people to do better. That's all we know.

    8% picked this

  5. There is no stronger motivator

    Too Strong: no stronger motivator

    We have no way to rank which of these trigger ideas is the stronger motivator one. Both of them lead to motivating people to do better. That's all we know.

    1% 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