LSAT Explanation PT 33, S1, Q4: Juan: Unlike the ancient Olympic games

LSAT Question Stem

Which one of the following, if true, most seriously undermines Juan's argument? 

Logical Reasoning Question Type

This is a Weaken question. 

Correct Answer

The correct answer to this question is D. 

LSAT Question Complete Explanation

First, let's summarize and analyze the argument in the passage. Juan argues that the presence of professional athletes in the modern Olympics violates the spirit of fairness essential to the games because amateurs rarely have the financial or material resources available to professionals, making it unlikely for them to offer a serious challenge. This is a Weaken question, so we need to find an answer choice that undermines Juan's conclusion.

Let's think of an "Evaluate" question for this argument: "Is there a correlation between the financial or material resources of athletes and their performance in the Olympics?"

Now, let's examine each answer choice:

a) In general, amateur athletes tend to outnumber professional athletes in the modern Olympics.

This answer choice doesn't address the issue of fairness or the relationship between resources and performance. It only states a fact about the number of athletes, which doesn't weaken Juan's argument. Therefore, this choice is incorrect.

b) In certain events in the modern Olympics, the best few competitors are amateurs; in certain other events, the best few competitors are professionals.

This answer choice suggests that both amateurs and professionals can excel in different events, but it doesn't address the relationship between resources and performance, which is crucial to Juan's argument. Therefore, this choice is incorrect.

c) The concept of "amateur" and "professional" athletics would have been unfamiliar to the ancient Greeks on whose games the modern Olympics are based.

While this statement is interesting, it doesn't address the issue of fairness in the modern Olympics or the relationship between resources and performance. Juan's argument is about the modern games, not the ancient ones, so this choice is incorrect.

d) In the modern Olympics, there has been no noticeable correlation between the financial or material resources expended on the training of individual athletes and the eventual performance of those athletes.

This answer choice directly addresses our "Evaluate" question and shows that there's no correlation between resources and performance. If this is true, then Juan's conclusion that the presence of professional athletes violates the spirit of fairness is undermined. This is the correct answer choice.

e) Many amateur athletes who take part in international competitions receive no financial or material support from the governments of the countries that the amateurs represent.

This answer choice actually strengthens the idea that amateur athletes are at a material disadvantage compared to professionals, which is not our goal in a Weaken question. Therefore, this choice is incorrect.

In conclusion, the correct answer choice is (d), as it most seriously undermines Juan's argument by showing that there is no noticeable correlation between the financial or material resources expended on the training of individual athletes and their eventual performance in the modern Olympics.