LSAT Explanation PT 29, S1, Q13: The top priority of the school

LSAT Question Stem

The pattern of reasoning in the argument above is LEAST 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 E. 

LSAT Question Complete Explanation

First, let's analyze the argument in the passage. The passage states that the top priority of the school administration should be student attendance. The reason given is that no matter how good the teachers, texts, and facilities are, none of these does any good if few students come to school. So, the structure of the argument is:

Premise: Good teachers, texts, and facilities don't matter if students don't attend.

Conclusion: Student attendance should be the top priority.

Now let's move on to the question. This is a Parallel Except question, which means we need to find the answer choice that does not follow the same pattern of reasoning as the argument in the passage.

a) This answer choice states that the top priority should be not alienating customers because honesty and good knowledge of the product line are only useful if the customer feels at ease. This follows the same pattern as the passage, where the top priority is necessary for the other factors to matter.

b) This answer choice states that the top priority for a person lost in the wilderness should be food-gathering because knowing how to find one's way back or how to build a comfortable shelter does no good if one doesn't have enough food to survive. This also follows the same pattern as the passage, where the top priority is necessary for the other factors to matter.

c) This answer choice states that the top priority for a detective should be to gather physical evidence because high-tech crime lab equipment and sophisticated criminological analysis are of no use if crucial clues are not gathered. This follows the same pattern as the passage, where the top priority is necessary for the other factors to matter.

d) This answer choice states that the top priority for a library should be to maintain its collection of books because a knowledgeable staff and beautiful facilities are of no value if there is an inadequate supply of books to lend. This follows the same pattern as the passage, where the top priority is necessary for the other factors to matter.

e) This answer choice states that the top priority for a criminal defense lawyer should be to ensure that innocent clients are found not guilty because such clients can justly be released from jail and resume their normal lives if they are found not guilty. This answer choice does not follow the same pattern as the passage. In this case, the top priority is not necessary for the other factors to matter, but rather it allows for something else to happen (innocent clients resuming their normal lives). This is the correct answer because it is the least similar to the pattern of reasoning in the passage.

So the correct answer is E.