Logical ReasoningDifficulty: Easy

PT129 S1 Q3 Explanation

On the first day of trout season

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

TopicsFlaw

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Stimulus

On the first day of trout season a team of biologists went with local trout anglers to the Macawber River. Each angler who caught at least 2 trout chose exactly 2 of these trout for the biologists to weigh. A total of 90 fish were weighed. The measurements show trout in the Macawber River weighed approximately 1.6 kilograms.

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
3.

The reasoning above is most vulnerable to criticism on the grounds

Answer choices

  1. Correct84% picked this

    makes a generalization from a sample that is unlikely to

    Why this is right

    It's not hard to imagine the fishermen submitting their largest, rather than their most representative, fish to be weighed. It is interesting how this question plays off the common sense that people who fish are eager to brag about their biggest catches.

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

  2. Contradiction2% picked this

    relies on evidence that is anecdotal rather

    The biologists took the measurements themselves.

  3. Out of Scope9% picked this

    ignores the variations in weight that are likely to occur over

    The rest of the season is not relevant since the argument is about the first day of trout season.

  4. Out of Scope2% picked this

    fails to take into account measurements from the same time in

    Previous seasons are not relevant to the argument.

  5. Out of Scope3% picked this

    does not consider whether any fish other than trout

    Fish other than trout are not relevant to the argument.

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