Logical ReasoningDifficulty: Easy

PT17 S3 Q17 Explanation

Although tales of wonder

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

TopicsWeaken

Keep going in LSAT Lab

  • 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

Start practicing free

Free to start

Full official LSAT questions are available through LawHub. This page provides LSAT Lab's explanation, strategy, and review tools without republishing the full official question.

Stimulus

Although tales of wonder and the fantastic are integral to all world literatures, only recently has the fantasy genre had a commercial resurgence in North America. During the last 20 years, sales of fantasy-fiction books written for adults have gone from 1 to 10 percent of total adult-fiction sales. At the same can be traced to the increased favorable attention given the genre by book reviewers.

What this question is testing

Weaken

Your task

Find the choice that makes the argument's conclusion less likely to be true.

Common trap

Answers that look negative but attack a claim the argument never relied on.

Winning move

Find the assumption the argument depends on, then pick the choice that undermines it.

Reading along? Open the full official question in LawHub — we show a fragment here and keep the reasoning in our own words.

The question
17.

Which one of the following, if true, undermines the booksellers’ explanation of the growth in sales of fantasy-fiction

Answer choices

  1. Opposite, if anything5% picked this

    Publishers often select a manuscript on the basis of whether they think that the published book will receive

    Seems irrelevant, but if anything it makes it seem like book reviews ARE a relevant causal factor.

  2. Correct90% picked this

    Few readers of fantasy fiction read book reviews, and even fewer select books to purchase on the

    Why this is right

    Badly weakens the plausibility of the provided explanation that better book reviews led to more sales of fantasy books.

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

  3. No Impact: awareness1% picked this

    Most booksellers are aware of what major book reviewers have written about

    No Impact: awareness

  4. No Impact: future sales projections1% picked this

    Although the increase in the percentage of fantasy books sold has been substantial, publishers estimate that sales

    We're trying to explain the increase that has already occurred.

  5. Irrelevant Distinction: new vs. past2% picked this

    Many of the book reviews of new fantasy-fiction novels also mention great fantasy novels

    Irrelevant Distinction: new vs. past

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