LSAT 148 | Section 3 | Logical Reasoning: Q11

LR Question 11 Explanation

QUESTION TEXT: Businesses frequently use customer surveys in an attempt…

QUESTION TYPE: Paradox

PARADOX: Businesses use surveys to improve sales and profits. But in a recent survey of companies in a certain industry, those businesses that used surveys tended to experience a drop in profits. Businesses that didn’t use surveys tended to have no drop in profits.

ANALYSIS: This argument makes a subtle shift. The first sentence is talking about businesses in general. But the study only examined a group of businesses within a single industry.

So maybe there’s something about this industry that makes businesses use surveys differently or with worse results than most businesses that use surveys.

___________

1. The stimulus never talked about any business in the study having an increase in profits. This can’t explain anything.
2. This could mean that two businesses routinely use surveys (“some” can be as low as one). And we don’t know whether those business had a change in profits!
   Answers that use “some” are vague, and you have to take them at their least useful.
3. CORRECT. This answer points out a difference between the businesses in the survey. “Most businesses” use surveys to increase profits. But this industry is different. “Most businesses in this industry” only use surveys when they get complaints.
   This explains the drop in profits. It makes sense that businesses with an increase in complaints will have less profits.
4. So? This could mean that 51% of customers answer one question slightly inaccurately. That’s not necessarily significant. Customers might still answer 99% of questions correctly. 
5. “Some” could mean “one business”. You have to take answers that use “some” at their most useless. What one business does is not significant in this case.