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
Break the argument into its conclusion and evidence, then do exactly what the question stem asks with that structure.
Answers that sound relevant to the topic but don't connect to the argument's actual reasoning.
Predict what a right answer must do, then test each choice against the conclusion-evidence gap.
Which one of the following principles, if established, most helps to justify Sharon's position?
A seller is not obligated
We need an answer that helps us conclude the buyer wasn't obligated to inform the seller of the real value of the merchandise. This answer is about the seller not being obligated to inform the buyer of something.
2% picked this
It is the responsibility of
This answer shifts responsibility from the buyer to the seller, which lines up with our conclusion that the buyer isn't responsible for telling the seller how much his goods are worth. But this answer does not line up with the facts of the case. The seller charged $10 and the buyer paid $10. The dispute isn't about the amount paid not matching the amount charged. The dispute is about the amount paid not matching the actual value of the merchandise.
15% picked this
A buyer’s sole obligation to
Why this is right
If the buyer's only obligation is to pay what the seller asks, which Sharon did, that absolves her of any wrongdoing that the seller is accusing her of. This answer is a little tricky because it doesn't use the same language as the judgement in the conclusion: it doesn't talk about right or wrong. But, if we have only one responsibility and we fulfill that responsibility, that implies that we held up our end of the bargain and didn't wrong the other party in the transaction.
Skill tested: Principle-Strengthen · how this choice captures the argument's function is the move to repeat next time.
82% picked this
It is the responsibility of
We need a principle that supports the judgment that the buyer did nothing wrong, This answer shifts responsibility from the seller to the buyer, which is the opposite of what we'd expect a right answer to do. It also focuses on ascertaining the quality of the merchandise, which is an out of scope idea.
1% picked this
The obligations that follow from
This principle is limited to people who are well acquainted. We don't have any evidence that Sharon and the seller are well acquainted, so this principle doesn't apply to them.
0% picked this
Continue the review in LSAT Lab
Save this question, watch the video walkthrough, and drill similar questions in your LSAT Lab account.
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.