LSAT Explanation PT 19, S2, Q7: A commonly accepted myth is that

LSAT Question Stem

The reasoning is flawed because the argument 

Logical Reasoning Question Type

This is a Flaw question. 

Correct Answer

The correct answer to this question is B. 

LSAT Question Complete Explanation

The question type for this problem is a Flaw in the Reasoning question, which asks us to identify the flaw in the argument presented in the passage.

First, let's analyze the argument in the passage. The passage states that a commonly accepted myth is that left-handed people are more prone to cause accidents than right-handed people. The conclusion of the argument is that this is just a myth, as more household accidents are caused by right-handed people than left-handed people. The evidence provided to support the conclusion is the fact about the number of household accidents caused by right-handed and left-handed people.

To make the argument more relatable, let's use an example. Imagine a small town where there are 100 left-handed people and 1000 right-handed people. If the left-handed people caused 50 accidents and the right-handed people caused 100 accidents, the argument would conclude that left-handed people are not more accident-prone since right-handed people caused more accidents. However, this conclusion is flawed because it doesn't take into account the proportion of left-handed and right-handed people in the population.

An "Evaluate" question for this argument would be: "What is the proportion of left-handed people in the population as a whole?"

Now let's discuss the answer choices:

a) The argument does not make a distinction where there is no real difference between the things distinguished. It is trying to disprove the myth that left-handed people are more accident-prone than right-handed people, so there is a real distinction being made.

b) This is the correct answer choice. The argument fails to take into account the relative frequency of left-handed people in the population as a whole. Without this information, we cannot accurately determine if left-handed people are more accident-prone or not.

c) The argument does not use the word "accidents" in two different senses. It consistently refers to household accidents in both instances.

d) While the argument does not specifically address the possibility that some household accidents are caused by more than one person, this is not the main flaw in the argument. The main flaw is the lack of information about the proportion of left-handed people in the population.

e) The evidence provided in the argument is not wholly irrelevant, but it is incomplete. The passage does not simply disparage an opposing position by calling it a "myth" but provides evidence to support its claim. However, the evidence is insufficient to prove the conclusion, making this answer choice incorrect.