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- Mon Jan 27, 2025 1:19 pm
#111695
Hi miriamson,
Good question!
The LSAT doesn't provide us with an exact definition of "many." On the test, the word "many" is a vague term that basically means "more than a few." Exactly what constitutes "more than a few" is left ambiguous, but I generally wouldn't consider any number under five to be "many." A "few" usually refers to a small number such as three or four.
The important thing to remember is that "many" does not imply "most." The word "most" means more than half of whatever is being discussed.
On the other hand, "most" doesn't always guarantee "many." For example, if there are three people in a room and two of them have brown hair, then it is accurate to say that "most of the people in the room have brown hair" even though two people would not usually be considered "many."
The LSAT loves testing this distinction, and the word "many" appears more often in wrong answers. (Although it can occasionally appear in the correct answer, as in this question.)
The words "typically" and "usually" in the stimulus indicate "most of the time."
It's also important to understand and consider the context of the topic being discussed when trying to get a sense of the numbers. For example, a statement such as "most people are right-handed" would definitely imply that "many people are right-handed." Since it is referring to the entire human population, "most people" would indicate billions of people which would definitely qualify as "many."
In this question, the argument is discussing the typical trends in designs. It is not discussing one specific designer or even one design firm. It should be understood in context that there have been "many" designs created over the years (interior design, clothing design, architecture, etc.), and so what is typical of a common occurrence would be something that has happened "many" times.
Good question!
The LSAT doesn't provide us with an exact definition of "many." On the test, the word "many" is a vague term that basically means "more than a few." Exactly what constitutes "more than a few" is left ambiguous, but I generally wouldn't consider any number under five to be "many." A "few" usually refers to a small number such as three or four.
The important thing to remember is that "many" does not imply "most." The word "most" means more than half of whatever is being discussed.
On the other hand, "most" doesn't always guarantee "many." For example, if there are three people in a room and two of them have brown hair, then it is accurate to say that "most of the people in the room have brown hair" even though two people would not usually be considered "many."
The LSAT loves testing this distinction, and the word "many" appears more often in wrong answers. (Although it can occasionally appear in the correct answer, as in this question.)
The words "typically" and "usually" in the stimulus indicate "most of the time."
It's also important to understand and consider the context of the topic being discussed when trying to get a sense of the numbers. For example, a statement such as "most people are right-handed" would definitely imply that "many people are right-handed." Since it is referring to the entire human population, "most people" would indicate billions of people which would definitely qualify as "many."
In this question, the argument is discussing the typical trends in designs. It is not discussing one specific designer or even one design firm. It should be understood in context that there have been "many" designs created over the years (interior design, clothing design, architecture, etc.), and so what is typical of a common occurrence would be something that has happened "many" times.