LSAT Explanation PT 24, S2, Q11: Not surprisingly, there are no professors

LSAT Question Stem

If the statements above are true, then on the basis of them which one of the following must also be true? 

Logical Reasoning Question Type

This is a Must Be True question. 

Correct Answer

The correct answer to this question is E. 

LSAT Question Complete Explanation

First, let's analyze the passage and summarize any unclear parts. The passage states:

1. There are no professors under the age of eighteen.

2. No one under eighteen can vote legally.

3. Some brilliant people are professors, some are legal voters, and some are under eighteen.

Let's break down each statement:

1. This means that if someone is a professor, they must be at least 18 years old.

2. This means that if someone is under 18, they cannot vote legally.

3. This statement provides three separate pieces of information: some brilliant people are professors, some brilliant people are legal voters, and some brilliant people are under 18 years old.

Now, let's move on to the question type and what it's asking us to do. The question type is Must Be True (MBT), which means we need to identify the answer choice that must be true based on the information provided in the passage.

Let's go through each answer choice:

a) No professors are eighteen-year-olds.

- This answer choice is incorrect because the passage only states that there are no professors under the age of eighteen. It does not provide information about professors who are exactly 18 years old.

b) All brilliant people are either professors, legal voters, or under eighteen.

- This answer choice is incorrect because the passage only provides information about some brilliant people, not all of them. We cannot make a conclusion about all brilliant people based on the information given.

c) Some legal voters are not professors.

- This answer choice is incorrect because the passage does not provide information about the relationship between legal voters and professors. We cannot make a conclusion about this relationship based on the information given.

d) Some professors are neither legal voters nor brilliant people.

- This answer choice is incorrect because the passage does not provide information about people who are not brilliant. We cannot make a conclusion about this group based on the information given.

e) Some brilliant people are neither professors nor legal voters.

- This answer choice is correct because the passage states that some brilliant people are under 18 years old. Since we know that no one under 18 can vote legally and there are no professors under the age of eighteen, these brilliant people under 18 must be neither professors nor legal voters.

Thus, the correct answer is E.