Logical ReasoningDifficulty: Easy

PT129 S3 Q4 Explanation

Two randomly selected groups

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

TopicsParadox

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

Two randomly selected groups of 30 adults each were asked to write short stories on a particular topic. One group was told that the best stories would be awarded cash prizes, while the other group was not told of any prizes. Each story was evaluated by a team of judges who were prizes were ranked on average significantly lower than the stories from the other group.

What this question is testing

Paradox

Your task

Break the argument into its conclusion and evidence, then do exactly what the question stem asks with that structure.

Common trap

Answers that sound relevant to the topic but don't connect to the argument's actual reasoning.

Winning move

Predict what a right answer must do, then test each choice against the conclusion-evidence 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.

Which one of the following, if true, most helps to explain the difference in average ranking between the

Answer choices

  1. Too Weak11% picked this

    The cash prizes were too small to motivate an average adult to make a significant effort to produce

    This might explain why those who thought they were competing for prizes didn’t produce higher quality works, but it does not explain why the produced lower quality works.

  2. Correct87% picked this

    People writing to win prizes show a greater than usual tendency to produce stereotypical stories

    Why this is right

    This explains how people writing to win prizes would produce lower quality short stories than those not writing to win prizes.

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

  3. Applies to Both0% picked this

    Most adults show little originality in writing stories on a topic suggested

    This applies to both groups of writers and so cannot explain the difference.

  4. Too Weak0% picked this

    The team of judges was biased in favor of stories that they judged to

    This would only explain the difference if it were known that those who thought they were competing for prizes were less likely to produce realistic short stories.

  5. Evidence1% picked this

    No one explained clearly to either group what standards would be used in

    This is a premise in the argument.

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