LSAT 141 | Section 2 | Logical Reasoning: Q17

LR Question 17 Explanation

QUESTION TEXT: If Suarez is not the most qualified of the candidates…

QUESTION TYPE: Parallel Reasoning

CONCLUSION: Most qualified elected AND Suarez not elected ➞ Anderson elected

REASONING: Either Suarez or Anderson is the most qualified.

ANALYSIS: This is a good argument. There are only two candidates who could be most qualified: Suarez, or Anderson.

If the most qualified person is elected, it will be either Suarez or Anderson. So if the most qualified is elected and they aren’t Suarez, they must be Anderson.

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1. This answer doesn’t say the lowest bidder is Caldwell or Qiu.
2. CORRECT. This matches the structure exactly. The lowest bidder is Dillon or Ramsey.
   Lowest bidder chosen AND Dillon ➞ Ramsey
3. This answer doesn’t show that either Kapshaw or Johnson are the lowest bidder.
4. This answer sets up the wrong contrast. It should have said that either Holihan or Easton is the low bidder.
   Instead, this answer says it’s possible that they’re both not low bidders.
5. The first part of this answer is right. It correctly shows that either Perez or Sullivan will be the lowest bidder.
   But the second part doesn’t match the structure. This argument should have concluded that if the contract went to the low bidder and Sullivan didn’t get it, then Perez would.