Logical ReasoningDifficulty: Medium

PT125 S2 Q15 Explanation

Humans are supposedly rational

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

Humans are supposedly rational: in other words, they have a capacity for well-considered thinking and behavior. This is supposedly the difference that makes them superior to other animals. But humans knowingly pollute the world's precious air and water and, through bad farming practices, deplete the soil that feeds them. is absurd to regard them as superior to other animals.

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
15.

The reasoning above is flawed in

Answer choices

  1. Wrong Flaw6% picked this

    relies crucially on an internally contradictory definition

    The definition of rationality is not internally contradictory.

  2. Out of Scope12% picked this

    takes for granted that humans are aware that their acts

    That humans are aware of their irrational behavior is not relevant to the argument.

  3. Out of Scope7% picked this

    neglects to show that the irrational acts perpetrated by humans are not also perpetrated

    This would only be relevant if the argument was attempting to show that other animals are not superior to humans.

  4. Too Strong1% picked this

    presumes, without offering justification, that humans are no worse than

    That humans are not superior to other animals leaves room for other animals to be superior to humans. This goes beyond the strength of the argument’s conclusion.

  5. Correct74% picked this

    fails to recognize that humans may possess a capacity without displaying it in

    Why this is right

    This points out a weakness in the argument. That humans do not display well-considered thinking while polluting or farming does not demonstrate that humans never engage in well-considered thinking.

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

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