Logical Reasoning

PT152 · S2 · Q22 Although human economic exchange

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Although human economic exchange predates historical records, it is clear that the very first economies were based on barter and that money came later.

Conclusion

The very first economies were barter, and money came later.

Evidence

In history, there are isolated places where at times currency disappeared from a local economy. At that point, the economy switches to the original barter system, but then abandons bartering when money becomes available again.

Evaluate

How can we accept their evidence but then argue that the first economies weren't barter? That money came first?

The evidence doesn't bring up anything about the very first economies, but the conclusion is trying to make a claim about the very first economies.

The author appears to be assuming that whatever was true about these isolated economies she's looking at would also be true of the very first economies.

Goal

Look for an answer pointing out that even if these economies started with barter, maybe the very first economies didn't. Maybe there's something different about these economies the author is looking at that skew towards barter whereas there might be factors surrounding the very first economies that would suggest they started with money (currency).

22.

Which one of the following most accurately describes a flaw in the argument's reasoning?

  1. The argument concludes that something

    Wrong Flaw

    This describes the famous Necessary vs. Sufficient flaw, in which the author presents a conditional statement and then uses it illegally in some Backwards or Opposite fashion. This argument didn't have any conditional logic.

    5% picked this

  2. The argument contains premises that

    Wrong Flaw

    This refers to the famous flaw called Internal Contradiction. This answer is almost never right. Do any of the claims in the paragraph contradict each other? No. Contradiction is like saying "The sky is blue ... also, the sky is not blue."

    15% picked this

  3. The argument presumes that something

    Bad Conclusion Match

    This accuses the argument of having made this move from Premise to Conclusion: X has been historically done ? X should be done The conclusion doesn't have any normative language like "should". It's just describing that the first economies were barter, not advocating that we should have barter-based economies.

    5% picked this

  4. The argument infers a causal

    Wrong Flaw

    This refers to the famous Causal Flaw. Does the author's conclusion make a causal claim? Nope. It just says that the first economies were barter, not money. It doesn't say X contributes to Y, or anything of that sort.

    25% picked this

  5. Correct

    The argument relies on a

    Why this is right

    This is a wretched argument / answer combo, but the one thing we can say is that the other four answers are not in any way tempting, because none of them match up at all. This answer refers to the famous flaw Circular Reasoning, which is almost never the right answer. Almost never. :) LSAT was somehow expecting us to hear the last sentence as the author's biased speculation (i.e. the author is just assuming that they economies who lost currency "reverted to the original barter system") rather than the author reporting on an anthropological fact. We were supposed to think the author was looking at a society that 1. had money 2. lost it 3. switched to barter 4. switched to money when it was available again And the author is assuming that it looked more like 0. started with barter 1. switched to money 2. lost money 3. switched to barter 4. switched to money when it was available again Given that these societies switched back to money when it was available again, we might have objected, "Since it seems like they prefer money, maybe they started with money?" But basically we were supposed to hear the author's comment that they REVERTED to the ORIGINAL barter system, and be like, "Whoa, author. Where are you getting that idea from? Who said they started out originally as barter? You're just assuming the truth of your conclusion and interpreting what happened in these societies through that lens". Ultimately, be at peace with missing this one since the stimulus is written so poorly, but tell yourself that the best chance you had at getting this right was knowing that the other four were definitively wrong, and that this one, if you look for textual nuances, is at least workable.

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

    49% picked this

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