LSAT Explanation PT 31, S2, Q9: As part of a survey, approximately

LSAT Question Stem

The argument above is vulnerable to criticism on the grounds that the argument 

Logical Reasoning Question Type

This is a Flaw question. 

Correct Answer

The correct answer to this question is A. 

LSAT Question Complete Explanation

First, let's analyze the argument in the passage. The passage describes a survey of 10,000 randomly selected individuals who were asked questions about their income and savings. The survey found that older individuals were more likely to refuse to answer the questions. Based on this finding, the author concludes that, in general, people are more willing to reveal personal financial information to strangers over the telephone when they are younger than when they are older. The structure of the argument is as follows:

Premise: The older the person being queried in the survey, the more likely they are to refuse to answer questions about their income and savings.

Conclusion: In general, people are more willing to reveal personal financial information to strangers over the telephone when they are younger than when they are older.

Now let's create an "Evaluate" question for this argument: "Would the older individuals have responded differently to the survey questions if they were asked when they were younger?"

The question type of this problem is Flaw, which means we need to identify the flaw in the argument. Let's go through each answer choice:

a) This answer choice points out that the argument offers no evidence that the individuals queried would have responded differently had they been asked the same questions in years prior to the survey. This is the correct answer because it addresses the "Evaluate" question we created earlier. The argument assumes that age is the main factor affecting a person's willingness to reveal personal financial information, but it doesn't provide any evidence to support this assumption.

b) The argument does not need to specify the exact number of people who were telephoned as part of the survey for it to be valid. The passage already mentions that approximately 10,000 individuals were surveyed, which is enough information to understand the scope of the survey.

c) This answer choice is incorrect because the argument does not assume that age is the main determinant of personal income and savings levels. The argument is about people's willingness to reveal financial information, not their actual income and savings levels.

d) The argument does not assume from the outset what it purports to establish on the basis of statistical evidence. The premise of the argument is based on the observation from the survey, while the conclusion is a generalization about people's willingness to reveal personal financial information based on that observation.

e) This answer choice is incorrect because the argument does not need to provide a reason to believe that what is true of a given age group in general is also true of all individuals within that age group. The argument is making a generalization about people's willingness to reveal personal financial information based on age, not claiming that this is true for every single individual within a specific age group.

In conclusion, the correct answer is A, as it points out the flaw in the argument by highlighting the lack of evidence supporting the assumption that age is the main factor affecting a person's willingness to reveal personal financial information.