Logical ReasoningDifficulty: Easy

PT129 S1 Q22 Explanation

Economist: Real wages in this country

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

TopicsSufficient Assumption

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Stimulus

Economist: Real wages in this country will increase significantly only if productivity increases notably. Thus, it is unlikely that real wages will increase significantly in the near future, since this country's businesses are currently investing very little in new continue for at least several more years.

What this question is testing

Sufficient Assumption

Your task

Find the assumption that, if added, guarantees the conclusion follows.

Common trap

Answers that only partly bridge the gap, leaving the conclusion unproven.

Winning move

Identify the new term in the conclusion and pick the choice that links it to the evidence.

Reading along? Open the full official question in LawHub — we show a fragment here and keep the reasoning in our own words.

The question
22.

Which one of the following, if assumed about the economist's country, allows the economist's conclusion to

Answer choices

  1. Out of Scope3% picked this

    Neither real wages nor productivity have increased in the last

    This is about the last several years, while the conclusion is about the near future.

  2. Wrong Trigger3% picked this

    Real wages will increase notably if a significant number of workers acquire the skills necessary

    The statements do not imply that a significant number of workers will acquire the skills necessary to use new technology. So this rule does not apply to the economist’s argument.

  3. Weakens1% picked this

    Sooner or later real wages will

    This makes the conclusion less likely to be true.

  4. Correct83% picked this

    Productivity will not increase if businesses do not make a substantial investment

    Why this is right

    This bridges the gap between a lack of investment and a lack of productivity growth.

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

  5. Too Weak10% picked this

    The new technology in which businesses are currently investing is not contributing to an

    Even though current investment is not contributing to an increase in productivity, something else could be. This leaves open the possibility that productivity is increasing.

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