LSAT 111 | Section 4 | Logical Reasoning: Q14

LR Question 14 Explanation

QUESTION TEXT: Marian Anderson, the famous contralto, did not take…

QUESTION TYPE: Sufficient Assumption

CONCLUSION: Marian Anderson did not take success for granted.

REASONING: Anderson had to struggle early in life. Anyone who struggles early must keep a good perspective on the world.

ANALYSIS: The argument is missing a link between struggling early and keeping a good perspective on the world.

If we diagram what we have so far, we get:

Struggle early in life ➞ keep a good perspective on the world

If we say that everyone who keeps a good perspective will not take success for granted then we can get our conclusion:

Struggle early ➞ good perspective ➞ not take success for granted.

___________

1. This would disprove the argument. The stimulus argues that Marian Anderson (who succeeded) did not take success for granted.
2. CORRECT. We can then say: Struggle Early ➞ good perspective ➞ doesn’t take success for granted. 
3. This doesn’t tell us how these people deal with success.
4. This tells us that struggling early in life is a necessary condition. We need a sufficient condition for not taking success for granted.
5. Same as D. This makes a good perspective a necessary condition. The right answer shows that it is a sufficient condition.