Logical Reasoning

PT133 · S1 · Q25 Counselor: Those who believe

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

  • 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

Counselor: Those who believe that criticism should be gentle rather than harsh should consider the following: change requires a motive, and criticism that is unpleasant provides a motive.

Conclusion

Only harsh criticism will cause the person critiqued to change.

Evidence

Changing requires a motive, and harsh criticism provides a motive.

Evaluation

Okay, but couldn't something else also provide a motive? What if a reward for good behavior provided a motive? Maybe that could also cause a person to change.

This author is using conditional logic words like "only, requires", so we should be on the lookout for a Necessary vs. Sufficient flaw. Here's what the author's argument looks like in conditional logic.

Change requires a motive. C → M Harsh criticism provides a motive. HC → M ⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯ ⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯ Only harsh criticism causes change C → HC

The author is picturing this chain: C → M → HC

But that second link is the fraudulent one. Harsh criticism is sufficient to produce a motive, but it's not necessary to have a motive.

Goal

Look for an answer describing the Necessary vs. Sufficient flaw, or one making the conversational objection that there might be other ways to provide a motive besides harsh criticism.

25.

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

  1. Correct

    infers that something that is

    Why this is right

    Harsh criticism is sufficient to provide a motive, but the author's conclusion (Only harsh criticism ...) makes it seem like harsh criticism is necessary.

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

    81% picked this

  2. fails to address the possibility

    Out Of Scope: not changing someone

    The conclusion is only about whether or not harsh criticism is the only thing that could cause someone to change. If we're talking about stuff that doesn't cause people to change, we're no longer relevant to this conversation.

    9% picked this

  3. takes for granted that everyone

    Reversed Logic Too Strong: everyone will

    The author never reasons that motivated ? change She said that change requires a motive, which looks like this: change ? motivated

    6% picked this

  4. confuses a motive for doing

    Not Confusing those

    Our author is saying we need a motive in order to change (to do something). She is also saying that harsh criticism provides a motive (to avoid something, the harsh criticism). But she doesn't confuse one with the other. She's just chaining those ideas together (illicitly). She's saying, "in order to get people do do something (change), we'll have to give them this motive for avoiding something (harsh criticism)". We're objecting not by saying that she's confusing doing vs. avoiding, rather by saying "why do we have to give them that motive? maybe we could give them a different motive for avoiding something (change your behavior or get beaten up). maybe we could give them a different motive that involves getting something (a reward for changed behavior)"

    2% picked this

  5. takes the refutation of an

    Doesn't Match At All

    Is someone else making an argument? The author is the only person we're hearing from here. She doesn't discuss anyone else's argument or attempt to refute someone else. There is no one else. This answer describes the famous flaw Unproven vs. Proven False, but it seems like this answer choice got lost walking down the street and ended up taking shelter with question 25.

    2% picked this

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