Logical ReasoningDifficulty: Hard

PT134 S3 Q16 Explanation

Editorial: Cell-phone usage

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

TopicsRole

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Stimulus

Editorial: Cell-phone usage on buses and trains is annoying to other passengers. This suggests that recent proposals to allow use of cell phones on airplanes are ill-advised. Cell-phone use would be far more upsetting on airplanes than it is on buses and trains. Airline passengers are usually packed in tightly. And if of their seatmates, they often cannot move to another seat.

What this question is testing

Role

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
16.

Which one of the following most accurately describes the role played in the editorial's argument by the statement that cell-phone use would be far more upsetting on airplanes

Answer choices

  1. Not Conclusion10% picked this

    It is the main conclusion of

    The conclusion is the 2nd sentence.

  2. Out of Scope: claim rebutted0% picked this

    It is a claim that the argument tries

    The claim that the author is rebutting isn't explicitly made in this paragraph; he's rebutting the idea of allowing cell phones on planes. That idea only appears in the 2nd sentence; we're being asked about the 3rd sentence.

  3. Not Indirect17% picked this

    It is a premise that indirectly supports the main conclusion of the argument by supporting a

    The 3rd sentence is the Intermediate Conclusion, so it's the most direct support for the argument. Premises -> Intermediate Conclusion -> Main Conclusion This answer choice applies to each of the last two sentences.

  4. Correct72% picked this

    It is a conclusion for which support is provided and that itself is used in turn to directly

    Why this is right

    This is the definition of an Intermediate Conclusion. Plan to allow phones on planes is ill advised. why? B/c phones are even more annoying on planes why? B/c on planes you're jammed next to people, and you can't change seats.

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

  5. Does Play a Role1% picked this

    It provides background information that plays no role in the reasoning

    This is the Intermediate Conclusion we're talkin' about here. The ultimate Glue guy in any argument. She's supported by the last two sentences, and she lends support to the 2nd sentence.

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