- PowerScore Staff
- Posts: 8950
- Joined: Feb 02, 2011
- Mon Jun 26, 2017 2:57 pm
#36397
Complete Question Explanation
Flaw in the Reasoning. The correct answer choice is (B)
The conclusion of the argument is that medieval societies were much less concerned about money
than are today’s Western cultures. The premise that is given to support that conclusion is that
the writings of medieval monks showed that they enthusiastically embraced an austere lifestyle.
Remember, always try to personalize arguments when you read them. Does this premise convince
you that the conclusion is true? To get a true sense of our society today would we refer solely to the
writings of the clergy? Of course not, so this argument is fl awed.
Since the question stem asks you to identify the fl aw, simply accelerate through the answers and fi nd
the choice that best captures a weakness in the author’s argument.
Answer choice (A): This answer falls under the category of fl aw known as the Uncertain use of a
Term. Ascetic, which Webster’s defi nes as “a person who dedicates his or her life to a pursuit of
contemplative ideals and practices extreme self-denial or self-mortifi cation for religious reasons,” is
not an imprecise term as it is used here, and you should never assume a term on the LSAT is fl awed
simply because you lack familiarity.
Furthermore, every time the LSAT has contained a fl aw based on usage, the term has been a very
common one with which most reasonably aware persons would be acquainted (which is not to say it
is always easy to pick out). This is because the LSAT is supposed to test your reasoning skills, and
knowledge of abstruse vocabulary is not a reasoning skill. Ascetic, as you know, is not a common
term and plenty of people may have no idea what it means.
Answer choice (B): This is the correct answer choice. Medieval monks present a certain view of
life in medieval society, but their writings would certainly not capture all aspects of life. So, to claim
that on the basis of their writings that there was an enthusiastic acceptance of ascetic lifestyles is to
generalize from a sample that does not represent the views of all of society.
Notice that understanding the meaning of “ascetic” is entirely irrelevant to recognizing that monks
probably do not represent common attitudes. The LSAT test-writers do in fact hope that some
students get hung up on “ascetic,” but you should focus on the broad method of reasoning.
Answer choice (C): Be careful when reading this answer choice. Some students think this answer
says, “Compares contemporary standards…” and since there was a discussion of the medieval and
contemporary societies, they incorrectly select this answer. Remember, any correct Flaw in the
Reasoning answer choice must pass the Fact Test, so test each part of the answer to see whether it
occurred. First, were contemporary standards applied? No. A comparison was made, but no standard
from contemporary society was applied. Thus, this answer cannot be correct.
Answer choice (D): The stimulus makes no reference to personal opinion.
Answer choice (E): The premise is not inconsistent with itself, and the premise and conclusion
are not inconsistent because they concern different time periods. This answer would fall into the
category of fl aw known as the Internal Contradiction.
Flaw in the Reasoning. The correct answer choice is (B)
The conclusion of the argument is that medieval societies were much less concerned about money
than are today’s Western cultures. The premise that is given to support that conclusion is that
the writings of medieval monks showed that they enthusiastically embraced an austere lifestyle.
Remember, always try to personalize arguments when you read them. Does this premise convince
you that the conclusion is true? To get a true sense of our society today would we refer solely to the
writings of the clergy? Of course not, so this argument is fl awed.
Since the question stem asks you to identify the fl aw, simply accelerate through the answers and fi nd
the choice that best captures a weakness in the author’s argument.
Answer choice (A): This answer falls under the category of fl aw known as the Uncertain use of a
Term. Ascetic, which Webster’s defi nes as “a person who dedicates his or her life to a pursuit of
contemplative ideals and practices extreme self-denial or self-mortifi cation for religious reasons,” is
not an imprecise term as it is used here, and you should never assume a term on the LSAT is fl awed
simply because you lack familiarity.
Furthermore, every time the LSAT has contained a fl aw based on usage, the term has been a very
common one with which most reasonably aware persons would be acquainted (which is not to say it
is always easy to pick out). This is because the LSAT is supposed to test your reasoning skills, and
knowledge of abstruse vocabulary is not a reasoning skill. Ascetic, as you know, is not a common
term and plenty of people may have no idea what it means.
Answer choice (B): This is the correct answer choice. Medieval monks present a certain view of
life in medieval society, but their writings would certainly not capture all aspects of life. So, to claim
that on the basis of their writings that there was an enthusiastic acceptance of ascetic lifestyles is to
generalize from a sample that does not represent the views of all of society.
Notice that understanding the meaning of “ascetic” is entirely irrelevant to recognizing that monks
probably do not represent common attitudes. The LSAT test-writers do in fact hope that some
students get hung up on “ascetic,” but you should focus on the broad method of reasoning.
Answer choice (C): Be careful when reading this answer choice. Some students think this answer
says, “Compares contemporary standards…” and since there was a discussion of the medieval and
contemporary societies, they incorrectly select this answer. Remember, any correct Flaw in the
Reasoning answer choice must pass the Fact Test, so test each part of the answer to see whether it
occurred. First, were contemporary standards applied? No. A comparison was made, but no standard
from contemporary society was applied. Thus, this answer cannot be correct.
Answer choice (D): The stimulus makes no reference to personal opinion.
Answer choice (E): The premise is not inconsistent with itself, and the premise and conclusion
are not inconsistent because they concern different time periods. This answer would fall into the
category of fl aw known as the Internal Contradiction.