Logical Reasoning

PT152 · S4 · Q9 Office manager: Every vacation

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

Office manager: Every vacation an office worker takes significantly reduces the psychological exhaustion experienced on the job.

Conclusion

To reduce psychological exhaustion as much as possible over the year, workers should divide their vacation time in several short vacations, rather than one or two long ones.

Evidence

Each vacation a worker takes significantly reduces the psychological exhaustion experienced on the job.

Evaluate

The author is thinking,

When author's have Plans / make Recommendations, we're implicitly judging a comparison between this world and the alternative world in which we follow their Plan/Rec. What else might be different in that world?

If I were trying to argue against this argument, I would say that people might rather have a couple longer vacations, because it allows them to go to Europe or Africa or Asia or what have-you.

3-4 day vacations get kind of limiting, because you're usually staying within driving distance.

Also, are we sure that people come back from these "long weekends" super refreshed, or does it need to be 8 days down in Cabo ... deep time, doin' nothin', that allows workers to be psychologically replenished?

Goal

Look for an answer making objections that there would actually be more psychological exhaustion in this world of shorter vacations, either because we wouldn't like our vacation options as much or because we wouldn't get the stress relief of deep time from longer vacations.

The office manager's argument is most vulnerable to criticism on which one of the following grounds?

It takes for granted that
Too Strong: each is equal
The author doesn't have to assume that each mini-vacation is identically replenishing. She is, however, assuming that the aggregate level of psychological benefit from several short vacations is equal to the aggregate level of psychological benefit from one or two long vacations.
7% picked this
It overlooks the possibility that
Not an Objection
Would it hurt the argument to say, "Hey, author there are other methods workers can employ to reduce exhaustion that are as effective as vacations"? Not really, since the author's conclusion was "To reduce exhaustion as much as possible do X". This answer deals with alternative options that would tie method X, not surpass it.
2% picked this
It overlooks the possibility that
Not an Objection
It doesn't hurt the argument to say that people are different. The author's conclusion is about the total amount of exhaustion. The author doesn't care whether everyone contributes equally to that total. The author overlooks the possibility that office workers, on average, may differ substantially in the extent to which shorter vacations compare to longer ones in terms of relief from psychological exhaustion
3% picked this
It fails to consider that
Not an Objection
The total amount of vacation time isn't changing, so it's not an objection to say "They won't like this; they care most about total vacation time!" We need an objection saying, "They won't like this; they care less about the number of vacations, and more about the ability to take a long trip"
15% picked this
Correct
It fails to consider that
Why this is right
This works as an objection, because we can argue, "Author, having more vacations won't get us to a bigger overall reduction in exhaustion. Mini-vacations only reduce your exhaustion by 15%, but long vacations reduce it like 50%. Four 15%'s reductions doesn't add up to as much as two 50% reductions.
Skill tested: Flaw · how this choice captures the argument's function is the move to repeat next time.
74% 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