Method & Role Questions
There will be one or two questions per logical reasoning section which asks about the method of argumentation or the role a phrase plays in the argument. The trick with these questions is to focus on the answers and compare them to what is written in the passage; ask yourself, "did the passage do this?"
Our private LSAT tutoring sessions are available for $50 per hour; message us today!
Rosanne: Groceries are generally more expensive in Alaska than in other places because most of the groceries must be transported to Alaska from faraway places. The long transportation incurs costs, which pass on to consumers at Alaskan grocery stores. This means that if we move to Alaska, we will probably pay more for groceries each month.
Rosanne's argument proceeds by
(A) suggesting an alternative course of action to avoid an undesirable result
(B) establishing a general principle and then applying that principle to a given set of facts
(C) using an analogous situation to illustrate the problems with pursuing a given end
(D) showing that certain measures, if followed, would lead to unacceptable conclusion
(E) appealing to authority to establish what it seeks toprove
Lindsay: I will not be hired for this oil exploration job unless I have prior experience in the field, or a certificate that I am trained in the field, or at least 10 years of experience in a similar field such as land management or environmental policy. Since do not possess any of these three attributes, it seems. I will not be hired for the job.
Which one of the following most accurately
describes the reasoning utilized in Lindsay’s
argument?
(A) The prerequisites for a given results are set out, and that result is concluded to be inevitable since the prerequisites are all met.
(B) A situation is presented, possible solutions are discussed, and one is chosen.
(C) Two different alternatives are proposed, their implications are evaluated, and neither is taken.
(D) A basic concept is laid out, its shortcomings are addressed, and its reasoning is applied to the facts at issue.
(E) A conclusion is drawn, the reasons for that conclusion are stated, and the conclusion is then modified.
In polytheistic cultures, deities were typically the forces of nature, and it seems the character of the deity was a reflection of what the people thought of that natural force. This appears true because benevolent deities represent things like water and vegetation growth while malevolent deities represent storms and pestilence. Because the ancient Japanese solar deity, Amaterasu, was female, whereas the ancient Egyptian solar deity, Ra, was male, it follows that the ancient Japanese saw sun as a more feminine and motherly natural force, while the ancient Egyptians saw it as masculine and fatherly.
Which one of the following is a method of arguing used above?
(A) A concept is derived from an analysis of facts and then applied to a new set of facts.
(B) A relationship is established and the reasons for that relationship are subsequently explored.
(C) The nature of a phenomenon is discussed in detail and the extent of the knowledge about this phenomenon is acknowledged.
(D) A cultural archetype is identified; two possible sources are suggested and one is subsequently dismissed.
(E) An expert authority is consulted and the implications of that authority’s conclusion are accepted.
All too often contemporary academics criticize the government and public policy, but make no effort on their own behalf to change it. Such academics have no right to make such criticism; after all, one who willingly lets a malfeasance be inflicted upon them is not within his or her right to lament the results of that malfeasance.
The statement that those who allow malfeasance willingly cannot later lament it plays which one of the following roles in the argument?
(A) a factual basis for articulating that malfeasance is currently being inflicted by the government
(B) an example of the type of criticism given by contemporary academics
(C) a general principle which allows the conclusion of the argument to be drawn
(D) an illustration of a key problem for which the passage proposes a solution
(E) evidence for an opposing claim which is subsequently dismissed