LSAT Explanation PT 43, S2, Q5: Shipping Coordinator: If we send your

LSAT Question Stem

The customer's response can best be explained on the assumption that she has misinterpreted the shipping coordinator to mean which one of the following? 

Logical Reasoning Question Type

This is a Necessary Assumption question. 

Correct Answer

The correct answer to this question is D. 

LSAT Question Complete Explanation

The question type for this problem is Necessary Assumption, which means we need to identify an assumption that the customer is making in order to reach their conclusion.

Let's first analyze the argument in the passage:

Shipping Coordinator:

Premise 1: If we send your shipment by air express, it will arrive tomorrow morning.

Premise 2: If we send your shipment via ground carrier, it will arrive either tomorrow or the next day.

Premise 3: Ground carrier is less expensive than air express.

Customer:

Conclusion: If I don't choose air express, then I will not receive my shipment tomorrow, so I clearly have no choice but to spend the extra money and have it sent via air express.

The customer's conclusion is based on a misinterpretation of the shipping coordinator's statements. To help illustrate this, let's use a simple example. Imagine you have two options for transportation to work: a car or a bus. If you take the car, you will definitely arrive on time. If you take the bus, you might arrive on time or you might be late. The bus is cheaper than using the car. Now, if you assume that not taking the car means you will definitely be late, you would be making a similar mistake as the customer in the passage.

The "Evaluate" question for this argument would be: "If the shipment is not sent by air express, is it guaranteed not to arrive tomorrow?"

Now let's discuss each answer choice:

a) Ground carrier is as reliable a shipping method as air express.

- This answer choice is incorrect because reliability is not the main issue in the customer's response. The customer is more focused on the arrival time of the shipment.

b) If the shipment is sent by air express, it will arrive tomorrow.

- This answer choice is incorrect because it is a correct interpretation of the shipping coordinator's statement and doesn't explain the customer's misinterpretation.

c) Ground carrier is not more expensive than air express.

- This answer choice is incorrect because the customer clearly understands that ground carrier is less expensive than air express, as mentioned in their response.

d) Unless the shipment is sent by air express, it will not arrive tomorrow.

- This is the correct answer choice. The customer is misinterpreting the shipping coordinator's statement and assumes that if the shipment is not sent by air express, it will definitely not arrive tomorrow. This is a Mistaken Reversal of the relationship between the two shipping options and their arrival times.

e) The greater the shipping cost, the faster the shipment will arrive.

- This answer choice is incorrect because, although the customer is aware of the increased cost of air express, this is not the critical factor in their response. The critical factor is their belief that air express is the only way to receive the package tomorrow.