LSAT Explanation PT 40, S1, Q18: Bookstore owner: Consumers should buy books
LSAT Question Stem
Which one of the following principles, if valid, most helps to justify the bookstore owner's argumentation?
Logical Reasoning Question Type
This is a Principle question.
Correct Answer
The correct answer to this question is B.
LSAT Question Complete Explanation
First, let's break down the argument in the passage. The bookstore owner is arguing that consumers should buy books only from independent bookstores and not from chain bookstores. The reasoning behind this is that independent bookstores carry a wider variety of books, and chain bookstores threaten their existence, which in turn reduces the variety of books available to consumers. In this argument, the premise is that independent bookstores carry a wider variety of books and chain bookstores threaten their existence, while the conclusion is that consumers should buy books only from independent bookstores.
To make this more relatable, let's use a simple example. Imagine a small town with a local bakery that makes unique and delicious pastries. A big chain bakery moves into town, offering a smaller variety of pastries but at lower prices. The local bakery is at risk of going out of business, which would mean the town would lose access to the unique pastries. In this case, the argument would be that townspeople should continue to buy pastries from the local bakery to preserve the variety of pastries available.
An "Evaluate" question for this argument could be: "Do consumers value the variety of books available more than other factors, such as price or convenience?"
Now, let's discuss the answer choices for the question, which is a Principle question, asking us to identify a principle that would help justify the bookstore owner's argument.
Answer choice (A): This principle focuses on what chain bookstores should not do, but it doesn't directly address the consumer's actions. While it is related to the argument, it doesn't strengthen the conclusion that consumers should buy books only from independent bookstores.
Answer choice (B): This principle directly connects consumers' buying habits with the variety of books available, stating that they should buy books from stores that don't reduce variety. This strengthens the conclusion by providing a rationale for why consumers should support independent bookstores. This is the correct answer choice.
Answer choice (C): This principle focuses on the best interest of the bookselling business, not on consumers' actions. It doesn't directly strengthen the conclusion that consumers should buy books only from independent bookstores.
Answer choice (D): This principle talks about not making purchases from bookstores that deliberately force competitors out of business. However, the argument doesn't claim that chain bookstores are deliberately forcing independent bookstores out of business, so it doesn't directly strengthen the conclusion.
Answer choice (E): This principle discusses what consumers should do if they have no access to independent bookstores, which is outside the scope of the original argument. It doesn't strengthen the conclusion that consumers should buy books only from independent bookstores.