LSAT 142 | Section 1 | Logical Reasoning: Q10

LR Question 10 Explanation

QUESTION TEXT: Principle: People should buy an expensive antique…

QUESTION TYPE: Principle Application

PRINCIPLE: Buy antique ➞ certain about authenticity AND you like the piece

Contrapositive: Dislike piece OR not certain about authenticity ➞ Don’t buy

APPLICATION: Maude shouldn’t buy the vase.

ANALYSIS: Principle Application questions are very, very routine. Here’s what to do.

1. Check what the question asks you to prove. (Maude should not buy the vase)
2. Check what sufficient condition allows you to prove that. (Not certain about authenticity OR not liking the piece’s intrinsic qualities)
3. Skim the answers to find the one that has a matching condition.

There are only two ways an answer can be correct. Anything else is a distraction. Three wrong answers try to help show Maude should buy the vase, which is the opposite of what we’re looking for. Several answers mention investment value, which was not a necessary condition.

___________

1. The fact that Maude has skill in identifying counterfeits doesn’t help us prove she shouldn’t buy a vase. Only lack of confidence proves that.
2. The principle said that value as an investment is not a decisive factor in purchasing antiques.
3. This evidence helps establish the two necessary conditions for buying a vase. We’re trying to prove that Maude shouldn’t buy the vase, therefore we’re looking for a lack of a condition.
   You might think the documentation is fake. That’s possible. But only possible. We need evidence that Maude lacks confidence before we say she shouldn’t buy the vase.
4. These factors help establish Maude should buy the vase. We’re trying to prove that she shouldn’t.
5. CORRECT. There’s no way for Maude to be certain about the authenticity of this vase. Since confidence was a necessary condition for buying, this answer lets us prove Maude shouldn’t buy the vase.