Logical Reasoning

PT6 · S2 · Q19 Valitania’s long-standing practice of

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

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

Valitania’s long-standing practice of paying high salaries to its elected politicians has had a disastrous effect on the level of integrity among politicians in that country.

Conclusion

Valitania's practice of paying high salaries to elected politicians has led to a decrease in the integrity level among politicians.

Evidence (this is because)

The prospect of earning a high salary is attractive to those whose primary aim is to make money.

Inevitably, the wrong people (those more interested in making money than in serving the nation) have been attracted to Valitanian politics.

Evaluate

This argument fits the pattern of criticizing a Plan / Goal.

GOAL: elect good people to office PLAN: entice them with high salaries

The author is arguing that the plan is failing to achieve the goal, because the high salaries will attract people who just care about money.

How can we argue the plan is working?

Maybe we could say that the plan also attracts high integrity people, and those people usually beat out the money-hungry ones in elections. In other words, high salaries attract everyone, and the voters elect the best options.

Or we could argue that people who just care about money still wouldn't be that into running for office (maybe other jobs pay more or require less effort to make the same amount of money).

Or we could argue that the money-hungry people end up getting good at serving the nation, because that's the best way for them to get re-elected and keep their lucrative job.

Goal

Let's find an answer that allows us to defend these high salaries against the charge that we will end up electing shallow, money-hungry people who aren't good at serving the nation.

19.

Which one of the following, if true, would weaken the argument?

Many Valitanian candidates for elected
No Impact
The fact that candidates spend their own money on campaigns does not address whether the prospect of a high salary attracts individuals of low integrity. It doesn't directly address the causal connection proposed in the conclusion.
2% picked this
Most Valitanian elective offices have
No Impact
The length of elective office terms does not provide insight on whether salary levels affect the type of individuals attracted to politics or their integrity levels.
0% picked this
No more people compete for
Weaker Impact
This seems to suggest that salary level doesn't really entice people to run for office. They are apparently deciding on things other than salary. That does seem to weaken the author's concern that high salaries will bring sleazy money-hungry types out of the woodwork, who otherwise wouldn't be messing around in politics. But this doesn't seem to have as much impact as the correct answer, which more directly challenges the idea that high salaries entice shallow people to run for office.
21% picked this
Only politicians who rely on
Opposite (if anything)
This rule sort of reinforces the connection between getting elected for the money ("relying on their office for income") and not serving the nation ("supporting policies that advance their own selfish interests"). So if anything it strengthens.
2% picked this
Correct
Most of those who are
Why this is right
If most Valitanian politicians could have obtained better-paid work outside politics, it suggests that these high salaries are not going to be a compelling incentive for entering politics. This basically goes against the author's intermediate conclusion / premise that "these high salaries have surely attracted money-hungry people into politics".
Skill tested: Weaken · how this choice captures the argument's function is the move to repeat next time.
75% picked this

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