Logical ReasoningDifficulty: Easy

PT125 S4 Q4 Explanation

Ray: Cynthia claims that her car's trunk

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

TopicsFlaw

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Stimulus

Ray: Cynthia claims that her car's trunk popped open because the car hit a pothole. Yet, she also acknowledged that the trunk in that car had popped open on several other occasions, and that on none of those other occasions had the car hit popping open to the car's having hit a pothole.

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.

The reasoning in Ray's argument is most vulnerable to criticism in that

Answer choices

  1. Out of Scope2% picked this

    fails to consider the possibility that the trunks of other cars may pop open when

    The trunks of other cars are not relevant to the argument

  2. Out of Scope0% picked this

    fails to consider the possibility that potholes can have negative effects on

    Negative effects on a car's engine are not relevant to the argument.

  3. Wrong Flaw6% picked this

    presumes, without providing justification, that if one event causes another, it cannot also cause

    The argument does not assume that one event caused another. In the argument Ray denies that one thing caused another.

  4. Correct90% picked this

    fails to consider the possibility that one type of event can be caused in

    Why this is right

    This point out that the trunk popping open without hitting a pothole does not preclude the trunk popping open when hitting a pothole.

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

  5. Wrong Flaw2% picked this

    presumes the truth of the claim that it is trying

    The argument does provide evidence for the conclusion, although that evidence is insufficient.

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