LSAT Explanation PT 28, S3, Q2: A number of Grandville's wealthiest citizens

LSAT Question Stem

The argument is most vulnerable to the criticism that it 

Logical Reasoning Question Type

This is a Flaw question. 

Correct Answer

The correct answer to this question is E. 

LSAT Question Complete Explanation

Let's first analyze the argument in the passage. The passage states that a number of Grandville's wealthiest citizens have been criminals. Based on this, the author concludes that no wealthy person should be appointed to the Grandville Planning Committee to ensure that the committee is composed of individuals with high ethical standards. The structure of the argument is as follows:

Premise: A number of Grandville's wealthiest citizens have been criminals.

Conclusion: No wealthy person should be appointed to the Grandville Planning Committee.

Now, let's consider a simple example to help illustrate the argument. Imagine a classroom where a few students who wear glasses have been caught cheating on exams. Based on this information, the teacher decides that no student wearing glasses should be allowed to take exams to prevent cheating. This is similar to the argument in the passage, where the author generalizes based on a few instances and excludes an entire group of people.

An "Evaluate" question for this argument could be: "Are all wealthy people in Grandville criminals or unethical?"

The question type for this problem is "Flaw," which means we need to identify the flaw in the argument. The correct answer is E. Let's discuss each answer choice in detail:

a) Confuses a result with something that is sufficient for bringing about that result: This answer choice is incorrect because there is no causal relationship in the argument. The author doesn't confuse a result with its cause; instead, they generalize based on a few instances.

b) Mistakes a temporal relationship for a causal relationship: This answer choice is also incorrect because there is no temporal relationship in the argument. The author doesn't assume that one event happened before another and therefore caused it.

c) Assumes that because a certain action has a certain result, the person taking that action intended that result: This answer choice is not applicable to the argument, as there is no discussion of intentions or actions taken by individuals.

d) Judges only by subjective standards something that can be readily evaluated according to objective standards: This answer choice is incorrect because the argument is based on an objective fact (some wealthy citizens being criminals). The flaw lies in the generalization, not in the use of subjective standards.

e) Generalizes on the basis of what could be exceptional cases: This is the correct answer. The author generalizes from a few instances of wealthy citizens being criminals and concludes that no wealthy person should be appointed to the committee. This generalization could be based on exceptional cases, meaning not all wealthy people in Grandville are criminals or unethical.

In conclusion, the flaw in the argument is that the author generalizes based on a few instances and excludes an entire group of people (wealthy individuals) from being appointed to the Grandville Planning Committee. The correct answer is E, as it highlights this generalization and the possibility of exceptional cases.