Logical ReasoningDifficulty: Easy

PT17 S2 Q11 Explanation

P: Because an elected official

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

TopicsFlaw

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Stimulus

P: Because an elected official needs the support of a political party to be effective, the independent candidate for the legislature cannot legislator is she wins.

Q: I disagree. By your reasoning, our current legislator, who has the support of a political party, ought to have has not been.

What this question is testing

Flaw

Your task

Describe the reasoning error the argument actually commits.

Common trap

Answers that name a real logical flaw the argument doesn't actually make.

Winning move

Articulate the gap in the reasoning yourself, then match it to the choice that describes that 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
11.

Which one of the following is the best criticism of

Answer choices

  1. Trap4% picked this

    It simply contradicts P’s claim without offering evidence

  2. Trap3% picked this

    It does not consider the possibility that a political party might decide to support an elected legislator even though he or

  3. Trap3% picked this

    It fails to prove a precise definition for a key term—the

  4. Trap7% picked this

    It presupposes what is to be proved—that a legislator must have the support of a political party in

  5. Correct84% picked this

    It mistakenly interprets P to be claiming that a factor assures, rather than is necessary

    Why this is right

    Answer E is correct.

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

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