LSAT Question Stem

Mr. Nance's reasoning is flawed because it 

Logical Reasoning Question Type

This is a Flaw question. 

Correct Answer

The correct answer to this question is C. 

LSAT Question Complete Explanation

This LSAT problem is a Flaw question, which asks us to identify the flaw in Mr. Nance's reasoning. In the passage, Mr. Nance states that Ms. Chan said she retired from Quad Cities Corporation after 40 years of service. However, he overheard a colleague say that Ms. Chan will be on business trips for much of the next year and is working harder than ever. Mr. Nance concludes that either Ms. Chan or her colleague is not telling the truth.

To better understand this situation, let's use a simple example. Imagine that a friend tells you they have quit their job at a bakery, but another friend mentions that they will be baking cakes for various events in the coming months. It's possible that your friend has indeed quit their job at the bakery and is now baking cakes independently or for another company. There is no contradiction here, and both friends could be telling the truth.

The "Evaluate" question for this argument would be: "Is it possible for Ms. Chan to have retired from Quad Cities Corporation and still be working or going on business trips for another company or her own business?"

Now let's discuss each answer choice:

a) Mr. Nance's argument isn't based on hearsay, but rather on an overly extreme acceptance or rejection of it. If he had concluded that Ms. Chan is definitely lying, then his argument would be based on hearsay. However, he is open to both accepting and rejecting the hearsay.

b) Mr. Nance doesn't criticize Ms. Chan; he doesn't pinpoint the source of the "lying." Asserting that a claim is not true or that someone has lied is a criticism of the claim, not the person. A criticism of the person would involve labeling someone as a "liar."

c) This is the correct answer. The equivocal language in question is the term "retired." Mr. Nance seems to believe that his definition of retirement should dictate others' retirement activities. He fails to consider that Ms. Chan could be retiring from her current position while still working elsewhere.

d) This response suggests that Ms. Chan lied to her colleague, which supports the idea that someone is not telling the truth. Even if Mr. Nance didn't consider this possibility, it doesn't describe a flaw in his reasoning.

e) Assuming that someone has superior character based on long and loyal service is itself a logical flaw. It's not a flaw to refuse to infer things that don't logically follow. Additionally, Mr. Nance never claims that Ms. Chan is the one who is lying.

In conclusion, the flaw in Mr. Nance's reasoning is that he draws a conclusion based on equivocal language (answer choice C). He fails to consider that Ms. Chan could have retired from Quad Cities Corporation and still be working or going on business trips for another company or her own business.