Logical ReasoningDifficulty: Medium

PT3 S2 Q5 Explanation

Observatory director: Some say that

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

TopicsFlaw

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Stimulus

Observatory director: Some say that funding the megatelescope will benefit only the astronomers who will work with it. This dangerous point of view, applied to the work of Maxwell, Newton, or Einstein, would have stifled their research and deprived the development of radio, that followed from that research.

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
5.

If the statements above are put forward as an argument in favor of development of the megatelescope, which one of the following is the

Answer choices

  1. Trap5% picked this

    It appeals to the authority of experts who cannot have known all the issues involved in

  2. Trap1% picked this

    It does not identify those opposed to development of

  3. Trap6% picked this

    It launches a personal attack on opponents of the megatelescope by accusing them of having a

  4. Trap11% picked this

    It does not distinguish between the economic and the intellectual senses

  5. Correct76% picked this

    It does not show that the proposed megatelescope research is worthy of comparison with that of eminent scientists

    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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