LSAT Explanation PT 39, S4, Q9: In each of the last ten

LSAT Question Stem

Which one of the following, if true, most helps to resolve the apparent conflict described above? 

Logical Reasoning Question Type

This is a Paradox question. 

Correct Answer

The correct answer to this question is E. 

LSAT Question Complete Explanation

To understand this LSAT problem, let's first break down the passage. The passage tells us that in the last ten years, there have been few complaints of telemarketing fraud to law enforcement agencies. However, fraudulent telemarketing schemes have become a more serious problem, costing victims millions of dollars annually. This creates a conflict: if telemarketing fraud is a growing problem, why are there so few complaints?

The question type is Paradox. Our goal is to find the answer choice that best resolves the apparent conflict described in the passage.

Now let's analyze each answer choice:

a) Telemarketers convicted of fraud tend to be punished more severely than other people convicted of nonviolent crimes.

This answer choice doesn't help to resolve the conflict. It discusses the punishment of telemarketers after they have been convicted, which happens after complaints are made. The conflict is about the small number of complaints, so what happens after conviction is irrelevant.

b) Most complaints of telemarketing fraud that authorities investigate involve the use of credit cards, which makes it extremely difficult for law enforcement agencies to track down the perpetrators.

This answer choice focuses on the difficulty of tracking down criminals, but it doesn't explain why there are so few complaints in the first place. The conflict is about the number of complaints, not the difficulty of catching the criminals.

c) Some fraudulent telemarketers have concocted phony investment schemes which make it unlikely that victims will detect the fraud until a year or two after the fact, by which time their swindlers are long gone.

This answer choice explains why it might be difficult to find the perpetrators of the fraud, but it doesn't explain why victims wouldn't register complaints once they discover the fraud. The conflict is about the small number of complaints, not the difficulty of catching the criminals.

d) Fraudulent telemarketers typically base their operations outside the legal jurisdiction inhabited by the people they solicit, so they must be prosecuted in higher courts.

Similar to answer choices (b) and (c), this choice explains why it might be difficult to catch and convict the criminals, but it doesn't resolve the conflict between the growing seriousness of the crime and the small number of complaints.

e) The majority of those who have been defrauded by telemarketers have been inclined not to seek any legal remedy, out of embarrassment at being duped.

This is the correct answer choice. It resolves the conflict by explaining that most victims of telemarketing fraud don't report the crimes due to embarrassment. This means that even if the problem is growing in seriousness, the number of complaints might not increase as expected.