Discussion
Editor: When asked to name a poet contemporaneous with Shakespeare, 60 percent of high school students picked a twentieth-century poet. Admittedly, it is hard to interpret this result accurately. Does it show that most high school students do not know any poets of Shakespeare’s era, or do they just not know what “contemporaneous” means? However, either way, there is clearly something deeply wrong with the educational system. The statement that the majority of students picked a twentieth-century poet functions primarily in the argument
*This question is included in June 2013 LSAT (PT69): Logical Reasoning A, question #11
| (A) | as evidence that the educational system is producing students who are ignorant of the history of poetry |
| (B) | ... |
| (C) | ... |
| (D) | ... |
| (E) | ... |
| (F) | ... |
The solution is
Posted: 10/26/2013 10:01
Why is e the answer
Posted: 10/31/2013 17:04
Hi, Adriane -
This question is actually easier to answer if we cast it into slightly vaguer terms. Suppose that it had said:
"60% of high school students answered a particular question incorrectly. There are a couple of different reasons why they might have chosen their incorrect answer. But neither reason is adequate, so we can safely say that there is something seriously wrong with the educational system."
In this form, it is fairly clear that the statement "60% of high school students answered the question incorrectly" is intended to support the conclusion "something is seriously wrong with the educational system." Thus the correct answer is [E].
Please post again if you have any further questions!
Best,
Lyn
This question is actually easier to answer if we cast it into slightly vaguer terms. Suppose that it had said:
"60% of high school students answered a particular question incorrectly. There are a couple of different reasons why they might have chosen their incorrect answer. But neither reason is adequate, so we can safely say that there is something seriously wrong with the educational system."
In this form, it is fairly clear that the statement "60% of high school students answered the question incorrectly" is intended to support the conclusion "something is seriously wrong with the educational system." Thus the correct answer is [E].
Please post again if you have any further questions!
Best,
Lyn