LSAT Explanation PT 34, S3, Q18: A person is more likely to

LSAT Question Stem

Which one of the following, if true about East Wendell, shows that the explanation above is at best incomplete? 

Logical Reasoning Question Type

This is a Weaken question. 

Correct Answer

The correct answer to this question is E. 

LSAT Question Complete Explanation

In this passage, we are presented with a discrepancy: as people age, they are more likely to become disabled, but in the country of East Wendell, the proportion of adults receiving disability benefit payments decreases as they age. The explanation given is that the proportion of jobs offering disability benefits has greatly increased in recent years. The question asks us to weaken the explanation, meaning we need to find an answer choice that shows this explanation is incomplete or not fully accounting for the discrepancy.

Before diving into the answer choices, let's break down the argument:

Premise: A person is more likely to become disabled as they age.

Premise: In East Wendell, the proportion receiving disability benefit payments shrinks as people age.

Conclusion: The explanation for this discrepancy is the recent increase in the proportion of jobs offering disability benefits.

An "Evaluate" question for this argument could be: "Are there any other factors affecting the proportion of older adults receiving disability benefits?"

Now, let's analyze the answer choices:

a) This answer choice is out of scope. It discusses the success of treatments for newly incurred disabilities, but our focus is on the discrepancy between aging and receiving disability benefits. This doesn't provide an alternative explanation or weaken the given explanation.

b) This answer choice is also out of scope. It tells us that some people receive disability benefit payments from employers and some from the government, but it doesn't address the discrepancy between aging and receiving disability benefits or weaken the given explanation.

c) This answer choice is out of scope as well. It tells us that medical advances have prolonged the average lifespan, but it doesn't address the discrepancy between aging and receiving disability benefits or weaken the given explanation.

d) This answer choice is out of scope. It discusses the share of predisability income that disability benefit payments represent, but our focus is on the discrepancy between aging and receiving disability benefits. This doesn't provide an alternative explanation or weaken the given explanation.

e) This is the correct answer. It shows that the given explanation is incomplete because it reveals that under most employers' plans, disability benefit payments stop when an employee with a disability reaches the usual retirement age of 65. This provides an alternative explanation for the discrepancy between aging and receiving disability benefits, weakening the given explanation.

In conclusion, the correct answer is E, as it provides an alternative explanation for the discrepancy between aging and receiving disability benefits, weakening the given explanation.