LSAT Explanation PT 45, S1, Q16: Literary critic: Often the heirs of

LSAT Question Stem

Which one of the following statements, if true, most calls into question the soundness of the literary critic's advice? 

Logical Reasoning Question Type

This is a Weaken question. 

Correct Answer

The correct answer to this question is C. 

LSAT Question Complete Explanation

We are dealing with a Weaken question, which asks us to find the answer choice that most calls into question the soundness of the literary critic's advice. The critic's argument can be summarized as follows:

Premise: Heirs often publish a dead writer's manuscripts and letters, regardless of merit.

Premise: Many writers have manuscripts they consider unworthy of publication and wouldn't want to be associated with even after death.

Conclusion: A successful writer who decides not to publish a recently completed manuscript should destroy it immediately.

To better understand the argument, let's consider a simple example. Imagine a famous chef who creates a new recipe but decides it's not good enough to share. The chef's family might still want to publish the recipe after the chef's death, even if the chef wouldn't want that. The literary critic suggests that, to avoid this situation, the chef should destroy the recipe immediately.

An "Evaluate" question for this argument could be: "Do writers' judgments of their work change over time?"

Now, let's analyze each answer choice:

a) Some writers whose work becomes both popular and respected after they die received no literary recognition during their lifetimes.

This answer choice does not affect the critic's argument because it is about writers who become successful after they die, while the argument is about successful living writers.

b) Writers who achieve a certain degree of fame can expect that some of their personal correspondence will become publicly available after they die.

This answer choice is not relevant to the argument because it discusses personal correspondence, not manuscripts.

c) Most successful writers' judgments of their recently completed work are unnecessarily harsh and are often later revised.

This is the correct answer choice. If writers often change their opinions about their work, they might later decide to publish a manuscript they initially rejected. This possibility undermines the critic's advice to destroy the manuscript immediately.

d) Many posthumously published books would have been published by the author had the author lived.

This answer choice does not weaken the argument because it refers to manuscripts that the author considered worthy of publication, not those they decided not to publish.

e) Some heirs of successful writers do not consider themselves qualified to judge the merits of a literary work.

This answer choice does not weaken the critic's argument. If anything, it supports the critic's point that heirs might publish works regardless of merit. Whether the heirs consider themselves qualified to judge the works is not relevant.

In conclusion, the correct answer choice is (C), as it suggests that writers might change their opinions about their work and decide to publish a manuscript they initially rejected. This possibility undermines the critic's advice to destroy the manuscript immediately.