Logical Reasoning

PT13 · S2 · Q5 Financial success does not guarantee

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Financial success does not guarantee happiness.

Conclusion

Financial success does not guarantee happiness (i.e. there are some people who have financial success, but not happiness).

Evidence

In a recent survey, only 1/3 of the people who claimed to have achieved financial success said they were happy.

Evaluate

If the survey respondents are saying the truth, then the author wins. If they are both financially successful and not happy, then the author's conclusion is true.

If we were trying to figure out how to make an objection, we'd probably have to argue that the survey respondents are not saying the truth. Maybe they're exaggerating their financial success and don't qualify on that level; or maybe they're unwilling to admit that they're happy (makes the poor people feel worse to hear a successful person say "I'm rich AND happy!")

Goal

We'll probably just rule out an objection to the survey or be told something that makes us feel better about the veracity of the data points in the survey.

5.

Which one of the following, if true, most strongly supports the conclusion drawn from the survey results?

  1. Correct

    The respondents who reported financial

    Why this is right

    This helps us believe that when they claimed to be financially successful, they weren't lyin'! It probably feels very unfamiliar to LSAT students to be strengthening by "premise boosting?", but when the evidence is a survey or sample, we can often impugn the argument by calling into question the credibility / accuracy / integrity of that survey or sample, especially when the author's entire argument is riding on that one piece of evidence. When it comes to being asked the question, "Have you achieved financial success?", it is within common sense that people might lie to themselves or others a little, to protect their ego from otherwise admitting, "No, I've been a failure."

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

    61% picked this

  2. Financial success was once thought

    Necessary vs. Sufficient

    This answer is talking about whether or not financial success is required for happiness (whether you could have happiness, but not have financial success). The argument is about whether financial success is sufficient for happiness (whether you could have financial success, but not be happy).

    24% picked this

  3. Many of the respondents who

    Out of Scope

    This argument is about whether people who have financial success are always happy or not. This answer is about people who don't have financial success, so it's out of scope.

    10% picked this

  4. Many of the respondents who

    Weakens, if anything

    Without knowing whether these shy financially successful people are happy or not, this answer can't really impact the argument either way. But in the sense that it makes us aware that people on this survey were not necessarily accurately reporting whether or not they had financial success, it weakens.

    3% picked this

  5. Most of the respondents who

    Weakens, if anything

    Without knowing whether these secretly happy people were financially successful or not, this answer can't really impact the argument either way. But in the sense that it makes us aware that people on this survey were not necessarily accurately reporting whether or not they were happy, it weakens.

    1% picked this

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