LSAT Explanation PT 39, S4, Q6: A politician can neither be reelected
LSAT Question Stem
If the statements above are all true, which one of the following statements must also be true?
Logical Reasoning Question Type
This is a Must Be True question.
Correct Answer
The correct answer to this question is A.
LSAT Question Complete Explanation
This LSAT problem is a Must Be True (MBT) question, which means we must find the answer choice that must be true based on the information provided in the passage.
First, let's break down the passage. It states that a politician cannot be reelected and will face censure if they are involved in serious scandals. It then tells us that several prominent politicians have been involved in a conspiracy, which has turned into a serious scandal. Consequently, these politicians will not be reelected.
Think of this situation like a game of soccer: if a player receives a red card (serious scandal), they cannot continue playing (reelected) and will face a penalty (censure). Now imagine that several players (prominent politicians) have received red cards. They cannot continue playing in the game.
Now let's analyze the answer choices:
Answer choice (A): This is the correct answer choice. Based on the passage, we know that politicians involved in serious scandals cannot be reelected and will face censure. Since the prominent politicians are involved in a serious scandal, they cannot escape censure by their colleagues.
Answer choice (B): This is a Mistaken Negation. The passage does not provide information about what would happen if there had been no scandal. We cannot conclude that the prominent politicians would be reelected if there was no scandal.
Answer choice (C): This is a Mistaken Reversal. The passage tells us that involvement in a serious scandal leads to censure, but this answer choice incorrectly reverses the terms, suggesting that censure is sufficient to prove a scandal occurred.
Answer choice (D): The passage does not provide any information about whether the politicians initially benefited from the conspiracy or scandal. We cannot conclude anything about the initial benefits of the conspiracy.
Answer choice (E): While this answer choice might be possible, we cannot conclude with certainty that some politicians avoid detection when involved in a scandal. The passage only tells us what happens when politicians are discovered in serious scandals.
In summary, the correct answer choice is (A), as it is the only statement that must be true based on the information provided in the passage.