LSAT Explanation PT 28, S1, Q13: People who say that Dooney County

LSAT Question Stem

The reasoning in the passage is most similar to that in which one of the following? 

Logical Reasoning Question Type

This is a Parallel question. 

Correct Answer

The correct answer to this question is C. 

LSAT Question Complete Explanation

First, let's analyze the argument in the passage. The argument can be summarized as follows:

Premise 1: On flat land, soil erosion by water is not a problem.

Premise 2: Farmers whose land is flat do not build terraces to prevent erosion.

Premise 3: Farms in Dooney County are dotted with terraces.

Conclusion: People who say that Dooney County is flat are clearly wrong.

The argument structure is as follows: If the land is flat, then there is no soil erosion problem, and farmers do not build terraces. However, since there are terraces in Dooney County, the land must not be flat.

Now, let's discuss the question type and what it's asking us to do. This is a Parallel question type, which means we need to find the answer choice that has a similar structure and reasoning as the argument in the passage.

Let's go through each answer choice:

a) If we paint the room white, it will get smudged, and we will have to paint it again soon. Therefore, we should paint it dark blue.

This answer choice is incorrect because it doesn't have the same structure as the passage's argument. The conclusion in this choice is a recommendation, whereas the conclusion in the passage is a statement about the flatness of Dooney County.

b) People with children need more space than those without children. Yet people with no children can usually afford bigger houses.

This answer choice is also incorrect because it doesn't follow the same reasoning as the passage's argument. The passage's argument is based on the presence of terraces to conclude that the land is not flat. This choice only states a mismatch between space and affordability, but it doesn't conclude that a certain statement is wrong based on a related phenomenon.

c) People who get a lot of exercise have no trouble falling asleep; hence, people who get a lot of exercise do not use medication to help them fall asleep. Jack is taking many kinds of medication, so he must not be getting a lot of exercise.

This answer choice is correct because it follows the same structure and reasoning as the passage's argument. If people get a lot of exercise, they don't have trouble falling asleep and don't use medication for that purpose. Since Jack is taking medication, he must not be getting a lot of exercise. This parallels the passage's argument that since there are terraces in Dooney County, the land must not be flat.

d) If I go grocery shopping when I am hungry, I buy snack foods and cannot resist eating them. Therefore, I cannot lose weight.

This answer choice is incorrect because it introduces a new idea (losing weight) in the conclusion, which is different from the passage's argument. The passage's argument is based on the presence of terraces to conclude that the land is not flat, while this choice concludes about losing weight based on buying snack foods.

e) People who have many friends tend to go out often, so they need cars. Therefore, if Joe wants to have many friends, he must buy a car.

This answer choice is incorrect because the conclusion is a conditional statement, unlike the passage's argument. The passage's argument concludes that the land is not flat based on the presence of terraces, while this choice concludes that Joe must buy a car to have many friends.

In conclusion, the correct answer is C because it has the same structure and reasoning as the argument in the passage.