Logical ReasoningDifficulty: Easy

PT137 S3 Q25 Explanation

Graham: The defeat of the world's chess

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

TopicsAgree/Disagree

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Stimulus

Graham: The defeat of the world's chess champion by a computer shows that any type of human intellectual activity governed by fixed principles can be mastered by machines and machine will inevitably be devised.

Adelaide: But you are overlooking the fact that the computer in the case you cite was simply an extension of the people who programmed it. It was their successful distillation of the principles of a chess champion using a computer.

What this question is testing

Agree/Disagree

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
25.

The statements above provide the most support for holding that Graham and Adelaide

Answer choices

  1. Too Strong1% picked this

    chess is the best example of a human intellectual activity that is governed

    Neither Graham nor Adelaide would agree that chess is the best example of such an activity.

  2. Too Strong2% picked this

    chess is a typical example of the sorts of intellectual activities in which human

    Neither Graham nor Adelaide would agree that chess is a typical example of such an activity.

  3. Correct87% picked this

    a computer's defeat of a human chess player is an accomplishment that should be attributed

    Why this is right

    Graham would agree with this statement, while Adelaide would disagree with it.

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

  4. Half Scope8% picked this

    intelligence can be demonstrated by the performance of an activity in accord

    While Graham might agree with this statement, Adelaide does not address it.

  5. Too Strong3% picked this

    tools can be designed to aid in any human activity that is governed

    Neither Graham nor Adelaide go so far as to suggest that tools can be designed to aid in any human activity that is governed by fixed principles. Graham discusses human intellectual activities, while Adelaide discusses a particular intellectual activity.

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