Logical Reasoning Problem Set #1; Problem #41

[bmm09e]

Here is the question:

Physician: The patient is suffering either from disease X or else from disease Y...

(NOTE: The remainder of this official LSAT question has been deleted)

The correct answer is D, but can someone please explain to me why this is the correct one and the other choices are incorrect? Thanks!

[Steve Stein]

Hi bmm09e,

In that one, a doctor explains that they can't tell the difference between two diseases, X and Y, and they only know how to treat one of them. The doctor concludes that they should go ahead and provide the treatment.

The question asks for the principle that would lead to that conclusion. Correct answer choice D provides that when circumstances are beyond your control (the doctor couldn't tell X from Y), the strategy should be based on the assumption that the circumstances are favorable (to move forward assuming that the patient has the disease that they know how to treat).

Let me know whether this is clear, and if there were other answer choices you found more appealing--thanks!

~Steve