Logical ReasoningDifficulty: Easy

PT5 S1 Q4 Explanation

Mayor of Plainsville: In order

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

TopicsPrinciple-Strengthen

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Stimulus

Mayor of Plainsville: In order to help the economy of Plainsville, I am using some of our tax revenues to help bring a major highway through new business to Plainsville.

Citizens’ group: You must have interests other than our economy in mind. If you were really interested in helping our economy, you would instead allocate the revenues to building a new business park, the business that your highway would.

What this question is testing

Principle-Strengthen

Your task

Break the argument into its conclusion and evidence, then do exactly what the question stem asks with that structure.

Common trap

Answers that sound relevant to the topic but don't connect to the argument's actual reasoning.

Winning move

Predict what a right answer must do, then test each choice against the conclusion-evidence 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
4.

Which one of the following principles, if accepted, would most help the citizens’ group to justify drawing its conclusion that the mayor has in mind

Answer choices

  1. Correct85% picked this

    Anyone really pursuing a cause will choose the means that that person believes will advance

    Why this is right

    Answer A is correct.

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

  2. Trap5% picked this

    Any goal that includes helping the economy of a community will require public revenues in

  3. Trap8% picked this

    Anyone planning to use resources collected from a group must consult the members of the group

  4. Trap1% picked this

    Any cause worth committing oneself to must include specific goals toward which

  5. Trap2% picked this

    Any cause not pursued by public officials, if it is to be pursued at all, must be pursued

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