Logical ReasoningDifficulty: Easy

PT6 S2 Q18 Explanation

There is no mystery as to why

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

TopicsMain Conclusion

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Stimulus

There is no mystery as to why figurative painting revived in the late 1970s. People want to look at recognizable images. Sorting out art theories reflected in abstract paintings is no substitute for the sense of empathy that comes from looking at a realistic painting of a figure in a landscape. Perhaps realistic subject matter was a rejection of the viewers and their world.

What this question is testing

Main Conclusion

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
18.

Which one of the following most accurately expresses the main point of

Answer choices

  1. Out of Scope1% picked this

    Abstract paintings often include shapes or forms that are suggestive of real

    The passage never talks about the content of abstract paintings, and we're looking for a claim that was actually made in the argument.

  2. Opposite (if anything)7% picked this

    The art-viewing public wished to see traditional subjects treated in a

    There's no suggestion in the passage about the public's desire for traditional subjects treated in new ways; it is about the public preferring recognizable images, which if anything feels more like they wanted to go back to traditional (non-abstract) modes of art.

  3. Out of Scope2% picked this

    Paintings that depict a recognizable physical world rather than the emotional world of the artist’s life require more

    The passage doesn't comment on the artistic talent required for different styles of painting, and our answer should be replicating a claim from the argument.

  4. Assumption-Bait9% picked this

    The general public is unable to understand the theories on which abstract

    While the passage hints at a disconnect between abstract art and its public engagement, it doesn’t explicitly state an inability to understand the theories of abstract art. We want to match an answer with an explicit claim.

  5. Correct81% picked this

    The artistic preferences of the art-viewing public stimulated

    Why this is right

    This choice directly aligns with the conclusion that the art-viewing public's preferences led to the revival of figurative painting, focusing on recognizable images as the driving factor.

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

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