LSAT Explanation PT 24, S3, Q2: Advertisement: Anyone who thinks moisturizers are
LSAT Question Stem
The Dewyfresh advertisement exhibits which one of the following errors of reasoning?
Logical Reasoning Question Type
This is a Flaw question.
Correct Answer
The correct answer to this question is E.
LSAT Question Complete Explanation
The argument in the passage is structured as follows:
Premise 1: Without regular infusions of moisture, the ground (earth's skin) becomes lined and cracked, and its lush loveliness fades away.
Conclusion: Your skin should be protected from the ravages caused by lack of moisture by using regular infusions of Dewyfresh, the drought-defying moisturizer.
The argument uses an analogy between the earth's skin and human skin to make a point about the importance of moisturizers. It's important to note that the argument is based on a comparison between two things that might not be sufficiently alike.
An "Evaluate" question for this argument could be: "Are the earth's skin and human skin sufficiently alike in terms of their reaction to moisture for the analogy to be valid?"
This is a Flaw question type, which asks us to identify the error in reasoning exhibited by the argument.
a) This answer choice suggests that the argument is treating something necessary as sufficient. However, the argument does not explicitly guarantee that regular infusions of moisture will result in beautiful skin. It only states that moisture is important for protection against the negative effects of dryness. This answer choice focuses too much on conditional reasoning, while the argument is more centered around a causal claim and analogy.
b) The argument does not treat two things that regularly occur together as proof of a single cause. It focuses on the analogy between the earth's skin and human skin in terms of moisture, not on two events occurring together.
c) This answer choice is not relevant to the argument, as changing what people think is not addressed in the passage. The argument is about the importance of moisturizers for the skin, not about changing people's beliefs.
d) The term "infusion" is not ambiguous in the passage. It is clear that the author is talking about the process of providing moisture to the skin. This answer choice is not relevant to the argument's reasoning.
e) This is the correct answer. The argument relies on an analogy between the earth's skin and human skin, which might not be sufficiently alike in the respects needed for the conclusion to be supported. The argument assumes that the consequences of dryness for the earth's skin also apply to human skin, without providing enough evidence that these two things are similar enough in this regard.
In conclusion, the error in reasoning exhibited by the Dewyfresh advertisement is that it relies on an analogy between two things that are insufficiently alike for the conclusion to be supported (Answer choice E).