#18 - Decentralization enables divisions of a large

[Administrator]

Complete Question Explanation

Must be True—SN. The correct answer choice is (A)

By the percentages of people answering this problem correctly, this is the fi rst truly killer question
of the section. Interestingly, the stimulus is fairly easy to understand. The stimulus consists of
information describing the various benefi ts of decentralization to large organizations:

Decentralization allows for autonomy, which always permits more realistic planning and
encourages innovation.

Decentralization allows the central administration to focus on the big picture rather than
details.

Since you are asked to fi nd the most strongly supported statement, you should simply look for a
response that follows from the information in the stimulus.

Answer choice (A): This is the correct answer choice. Most students are probably turned off by
the certainty of this answer choice, but such language is supported by the stimulus. Since, in large
organizations, autonomy always allows more realistic planning, planning in a large organization
without autonomous divisions cannot be as realistic as possible.

Remember, extreme answers are not necessarily wrong in Must Be True questions. They are only
incorrect if the language of the stimulus is not extreme.
Answer choice (B): This response may be attractive, but is incorrect. The autonomy involved in
decentralization encourages innovation, but that does not mean that centralized organizations
discourage innovation. This answer choice is similar to a Mistaken Negation, and must be
eliminated.

Answer choice (C): The stimulus listed some benefi ts of decentralization, but never weighed them
against any drawbacks, so you cannot conclude from the stimulus anything certain about the value of
decentralization relative to centralization, so this choice is wrong.

Answer choice (D): This was the most popular incorrect answer choice. Although the stimulus
indicates that the central administrations of large institutions are partially responsible for some of the
details of daily operations, we do not know that the central administrations of large institutions are
partially responsible for most of the details of daily operations.

Answer choice (E): The stimulus stated that autonomy always permits more realistic planning, and
strongly encourages innovation, but those statements do not mean that the people implementing the
policies are always able to achieve those ends. This difference in certainty makes this answer choice
incorrect.

Furthermore, the stimulus discussed people who make decisions and are involved in implementation,
but this choice only mentions people who are involved in implementation. Implementation was an
essential part of improving decision making, but you should not make the mistake of assuming that
anyone involved in implementation is also involved in decision-making, because that would be a
Mistaken Reversal.

[jared.xu]

Hello,

Usually I do not have trouble with identifying the conditional statements as Powerscore has convenient given us a list of trigger words for them, which I have memorized by heart. However, as the LR 4 problem #18 (Decentralization enables divisions…) from Take-Home Test December 2004 illustrates, there are difficult exceptions which I do not understand even now. The correct answer A ends up being a contrapositive of sentence two. The reason I eliminated it is because I never realized and still do not see that it is a conditional statement. The second sentence states: “This [division of a large institution to function autonomously] always permits more realistic planning and strongly encourages innovation.” The correct answer dictates that we diagram this sentence as “More Realistic Planning + Innovation --> Division To Function Autonomously.” The right answer A is the contrapositive: “Do Not Function Autonomously --> Not More Realistic Planning.”

I totally understand the formal logic behind this reasoning. However, what I had trouble understanding was the initial stage, i.e., how “Division To Function Autonomously” is the necessary condition for “More Realistic Planning.” The second sentence uses the words “this always permits...and...encourages.” But that does not make “Divisions To Function Autonomously” into something essential. Or does it? When I read “this always permits,” I think that More Realistic Planning + Innovation are allowed and encouraged by the Divisions To Function Autonomously, but it does not mean in my mind that Divisions To Function Autonomously is necessary for these two things to happen. In other words, I don’t see how More Realistic Planning + Innovation are the sufficient conditions, and Divisions To Function Autonomously are the necessary condition, just because Division "permits and encourages" these two things. Are there any strategies for recognizing these types of conditional statements for the future? I really appreciate any comments and insights. Thank you in advance for replying.

[Nikki Siclunov]

The key here is the connection between the autonomous function of large institutions and the idea of realistic planning. If autonomous function always permits more realistic planning, we can infer that the absence of such autonomy will lead to planning that is not as realistic as it would be if institutions did work autonomously. You need to think your way through this problem instead of diagramming it.

Let's use another example:

A high LSAT score always enables one to go to a more prestigious law school.

"More prestigious" than what? Logically, more prestigious than a school one would go to if they did not have a high LSAT score. Consequently, without a high LSAT score, one cannot go to a school that is as prestigious as the school one can go to with a high LSAT score.

[agg554]

#18: The correct answer is A, but I chose C because it seemed to encompass a general conclusion about decentralization rather than just parts about it. Overall, I had no idea what the answer was and just guessed C really. Can someone try to explain to me why A is the correct answer, and why the rest are incorrect? I couldn't eliminate any answer choices when I attempted this question.

[Steve Stein]

Thanks for your question.

In that one, the author specifies that autonomous functioning always permits more realistic planning.

If this is the case, then the other side of the coin is that without without such functioning there is less realistic planning. This is stated in correct answer choice A.

The problem with answer choice C is that the author makes no comparison between the advantages and disadvantages associated with decentralization. Since the author does not discuss the disadvantages of decentralization, there is no basis to confirm this answer choice, so it should be ruled out.

I hope that's helpful! Let me know whether it clears this one up--thanks!

~Steve

[agg554]

That does make sense. For these kinds of questions, I think I was looking for the main point of the entire stem. What exactly constitutes a 'right' answer to these questions? Are they just statements in which some piece of information in the stem supports?

[Steve Stein]

Thanks for your response--I believe you've hit an important point--you seem to have been trying to answer a Main Point question, when this one is a Must Be True. As you say, the correct response to Must Be True questions must be specifically supported by the information provided in the stimulus.

Good question! I hope that's helpful.

~Steve

[Jatt]

Can someone elaborate on how to diagram the conditional relationships presented in the stimulus? I fear I missed this question because I incorrectly diagrammed these premises. Help?

[Nikki Siclunov]

Sure! The key here is to focus on the phrase "always permits" (second line). When A (always) permits B, you should think of A as a necessary condition for B:

• B A

This is a conditional construction that we seldom encounter on the LSAT. Nevertheless, it tests you understanding of what exactly a conditional relationship is: the dependence of one condition (sufficient) upon another (necessary). Just because you have a permission to do something does not mean you're going to do it. For instance, if I told you that a green light always permits street crossing, that does not mean that if you see a green light, you will cross the street. What it does mean, however, is that if you crossed it, you had a permission to do so (i.e. you saw a green light):

• Cross street Green light

In the stimulus, the author said that decentralization enables divisions of large institutions to function autonomously. Autonomous function, in turn, permits more realistic planning. Thus:

• Decentralization Autonomous function
  
  More realistic planning Autonomous function

(A) is the contrapositive of the second statement: without autonomous function, planning is not as realistic as it would otherwise be.

Let me know if this helps!

[est15]

I understand why A is correct but I'm still having trouble understanding why D is wrong. Isn't D supported by the last sentence of the passage? Without decentralization, the central administration would have been responsible for the details of daily operations.