Prompt: The reasoning in the argument is most vulnerable to criticism on the grounds that the argument
Difficulty: ππππ
How will the right answer fit in terms of support and conclusion?
Only the right answer will accurately describe a flaw in the argument, in other words why the conclusion isn’t well supported.
Highlight the main conclusion in the passage, if there is one:
it is reasonable to extend that law to protect against encroachments on property in cyberspace.
[BACKGROUND]. Yet [SUPPORT]. [SUPPORT]. Thus, [CONCLUSION].
It’s totally cool if you’re not exactly sure what the flaw is, as long as you recognize that the argument is making a comparison. “Cyberspace” is like “real estate”, so the law protecting it should be the same. If you agree, then we both know that the right answer will somehow call out a weakness in that comparison.
Map the wording of the answers to the wording of the passage:
(A) …is widely considered to be real estate.
Very tricky. I couldn’t fault you for liking this one, but the author isn’t arguing that “cyberspace” is “real estate”. They want “to extend” the law to protect cyberspace too. If they thought cyberspace was real estate, the argument would be that it’s already protected.
(B) has a premise that presupposes…
Which premise would that be? This doesn’t describe either piece of support, which were both pretty dry facts that didn’t “presuppose” anything.
(C) …significant evidence against the conclusion…
Where do you see that evidence? You know what “Most lawyers hold” was only background setting up the author’s disagreement. For context, this hasn’t ever been the right answer on a “flaw” question. No own goals on the LSAT.
(D) …similarities that constitute the analogy are anything but merely verbal
Now we’re talking. This is the only answer that says anything about why the comparison, a/k/a “the analogy”, might not really make sense.
(E) …solely on the grounds that the view is held by many experts.
Nope, our author disagreed with the experts’ view.
(D) is the correct answer.
Common pattern/s in this question: When the conclusion makes a comparison, right answers will pretty much always talk about the same comparison.
Leave a comment