Logical ReasoningDifficulty: Easy

PT130 S4 Q14 Explanation

Editorial: A recent survey shows

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

TopicsFlaw

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Stimulus

Editorial: A recent survey shows that 77 percent of people feel that crime is increasing and that 87 percent feel the judicial system should be handing out tougher sentences. address the rising crime rate.

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
14.

The reasoning in the editorial's argument is most vulnerable to criticism on the grounds

Answer choices

  1. Unsupported4% picked this

    appeals to survey results that are inconsistent because they suggest that more people are concerned about the sentencing of criminals than

    The survey results are not inconsistent.

  2. Too Weak9% picked this

    presumes, without providing justification, that there is a correlation between criminal offenders being treated leniently and

    The argument does not actually establish that criminals are being treated leniently.

  3. Out of Scope2% picked this

    fails to consider whether other surveys showing different results have been conducted

    The argument is about the case today and so surveys that indicate public opinion from over the years is not relevant to the argument.

  4. Correct82% picked this

    fails to distinguish between the crime rate's actually rising and people's believing that the crime

    Why this is right

    This points out that the argument appeals to opinion to support a conclusion about what is in fact the case.

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

  5. Too Strong3% picked this

    presumes, without providing justification, that tougher sentences are the most effective means of alleviating

    The argument does not rank order the means of alleviating the crime problem. So long as tougher sentencing is effective, it need not be the most effective means.

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