LSAT Explanation PT 45, S4, Q12: Columnist: If you received an unsigned

LSAT Question Stem

The columnist's argument proceeds by 

Logical Reasoning Question Type

This is a Method of Reasoning question. 

Correct Answer

The correct answer to this question is A. 

LSAT Question Complete Explanation

Let's first analyze the passage and identify the argument's structure. The columnist presents a comparison between unsigned letters and news stories with anonymous sources. Both are anonymous, but while people tend to doubt the contents of unsigned letters, they often accept anonymous news sources without question. The columnist concludes that it's reasonable to be skeptical of anonymous news sources because their anonymity allows them to make inaccurate or slanted statements without consequences, just like unsigned letters. This is an analogy-based argument.

Now, let's identify the question type and what it's asking us to do. This is a Method of Reasoning (MOR) question, which requires us to identify how the columnist's argument proceeds.

Let's discuss each answer choice in detail:

a) This answer choice accurately describes the columnist's method of reasoning. The columnist points out that people would presumably adopt a skeptical attitude towards unsigned letters and argues that a similar attitude is justified in the analogous situation of anonymous news sources. This answer choice passes the Fact Test and is the correct answer.

b) This answer choice might seem attractive because it also mentions an analogy. However, it's incorrect for two reasons. First, it claims that the latter attitude (towards anonymous news sources) is more justified than the former (towards unsigned letters), which is the opposite of what the columnist argues. Second, the analogy in the argument is between the sources, not the attitudes.

c) This answer choice is incorrect because the columnist's argument is based on an analogy between different real-life situations, not a generalization from a hypothetical situation. Additionally, the phrase "all situations of a given type" is problematic because the argument only discusses two types of anonymous items, not all possible situations involving anonymity.

d) This answer choice is also incorrect because, although it mentions an analogy, the columnist's argument doesn't claim that any evidence is "usually false." Instead, the argument suggests that people should be skeptical and have doubts about anonymous news sources, similar to their skepticism towards unsigned letters.

e) This answer choice is incorrect because the columnist's argument doesn't conclude that the information from anonymous sources is "likely to be false." Rather, the argument suggests that people should be skeptical and have doubts about such information, just as they would with unsigned letters.

In conclusion, the correct answer choice is (a), as it accurately describes the columnist's method of reasoning by drawing an analogy between unsigned letters and anonymous news sources and suggesting that a similar skeptical attitude is justified in both cases.