LSAT Explanation PT 23, S3, Q4: John: As I was driving to

LSAT Question Stem

Which one of the following principles, if established, would most help to justify Mary's position? 

Logical Reasoning Question Type

This is a Principle question. 

Correct Answer

The correct answer to this question is A. 

LSAT Question Complete Explanation

First, let's analyze the argument presented in the passage. John states that he was treated unfairly by the police officer because he was ticketed for speeding while other cars around him were going just as fast. This is his conclusion. Mary argues that John was not treated unfairly because everyone who was speeding had an equal chance of being stopped, but the officer couldn't stop everyone. This is her conclusion, and her premise is that "everyone who was speeding had an equal chance of being stopped."

The question type for this problem is Principle, and we are asked to find a principle that would help justify Mary's position.

To make the passage more relatable, imagine a teacher who catches a student cheating on a test. The student argues that it's unfair because other students were also cheating. The teacher responds that everyone who cheated had an equal chance of being caught, but she couldn't catch everyone at once.

An "Evaluate" question for this argument could be: "Does having an equal chance of being caught for a violation ensure fairness in the application of rules?"

Now let's discuss the answer choices:

a) This answer choice supports Mary's assumption that when everyone who breaks a law has an equal chance of being penalized, it is sufficient to establish that the law is fairly applied to any of those lawbreakers who are penalized. This is the correct answer choice.

b) This answer choice is off-topic because it discusses the purpose of penalties attached to traffic laws (deterrence vs. punishment), which is not relevant to Mary's argument about fairness.

c) This answer choice actually supports John's position that it's unfair that he was the only one who received a ticket, as it states that penalties should be applied to all and only those who break the law. Since we are supposed to support Mary's position, this choice is incorrect.

d) This answer choice contradicts Mary's argument, as it states that enforcement is fair only if applied to all lawbreakers or none of them. Mary believes that it is fair to enforce the law some, but not all, of the time. Therefore, this choice is incorrect.

e) This answer choice supports John's position, as it states that fairness involves penalizing all lawbreakers equally, not just the chance of being penalized. Since we are supposed to support Mary's position, this choice is incorrect.