LSAT Explanation PT 32, S4, Q1: Yuriko: Our city's campaign to persuade

LSAT Question Stem

In responding to Yuriko, Susan does which one of the following? 

Logical Reasoning Question Type

This is a Method of Reasoning question. 

Correct Answer

The correct answer to this question is B. 

LSAT Question Complete Explanation

First, let's analyze the argument in the passage. Yuriko makes a claim that her city's campaign to persuade parents to vaccinate their children should be imitated by Susan's city. She supports this claim with the evidence that vaccinations in her city have increased by 30 percent since the legislation authorizing the campaign was enacted. This is the premise of her argument. The conclusion of her argument is that Susan's city should imitate the campaign.

Susan responds by pointing out that the major part of the increase occurred in the first 6 months after the legislation was enacted, right after the city's free neighborhood health clinics opened and before the vaccination campaign really got going. Susan is essentially questioning Yuriko's assumption that the campaign was the primary cause of the increase in vaccinations.

Now let's discuss the question type and what it's asking us to do. This is a Method of Reasoning (MOR) question, and we need to identify what Susan is doing in her response to Yuriko.

Let's go through each answer choice:

a) She denies Yuriko's assumption that Susan's city wants to increase the vaccination rate for children.

- This is incorrect because Susan doesn't address whether her city wants to increase the vaccination rate or not. She is only questioning the cause of the increase in Yuriko's city.

b) She cites facts that tend to weaken the force of the evidence with which Yuriko supports her recommendation.

- This is the correct answer. Susan is providing information that suggests an alternative explanation for the increase in vaccinations (the opening of free neighborhood health clinics) and thus weakens Yuriko's claim that the campaign was the primary cause.

c) She introduces evidence to show that the campaign Yuriko advocates is only effective for a short period of time.

- This is incorrect because Susan doesn't present evidence about the campaign's effectiveness over time. She is questioning whether the campaign was responsible for the increase in vaccinations in the first place.

d) She advances the claim that a campaign such as Yuriko recommends is not necessary because most parents already choose to have their children vaccinated.

- This is incorrect because Susan doesn't make any claims about the necessity of the campaign or the choices of most parents. She is only questioning the cause of the increase in vaccinations in Yuriko's city.

e) She presents evidence to suggest that vaccination campaigns are usually ineffective.

- This is incorrect because Susan doesn't make a general claim about the effectiveness of vaccination campaigns. She is only questioning the cause of the increase in vaccinations in Yuriko's city and whether it can be attributed to the campaign.

In conclusion, the correct answer is B, as Susan cites facts that tend to weaken the force of the evidence with which Yuriko supports her recommendation.