LSAT Explanation PT 33, S1, Q3: Juan: Unlike the ancient Olympic games
LSAT Question Stem
Which one of the following most accurately expresses the point at issue between Juan and Michiko?
Logical Reasoning Question Type
This is a Disagree question.
Correct Answer
The correct answer to this question is A.
LSAT Question Complete Explanation
This LSAT problem presents a disagreement between Juan and Michiko about the inclusion of professional athletes in the modern Olympics. Juan argues that including professionals violates the spirit of fairness, while Michiko believes that the games should showcase the world's finest athletes, regardless of their background or resources. The question asks us to identify the point at issue between Juan and Michiko.
Before diving into the answer choices, let's analyze the argument structure. Juan's argument can be broken down as follows:
1. Premise: Amateurs rarely have the financial or material resources available to professionals.
2. Conclusion: The presence of professional athletes violates the spirit of fairness essential to the games.
Michiko's argument is:
1. Premise: The idea of the modern Olympics is to showcase the world's finest athletes, regardless of their backgrounds or resources.
2. Conclusion: Professionals should be allowed to compete.
The question type is a Point at Issue, which asks us to identify the statement with which one speaker would definitively agree and the other would definitively disagree.
Answer Choices Explanation:
a) This answer choice accurately captures the point at issue between Juan and Michiko. Juan opposes the participation of professional athletes in the modern Olympics, while Michiko supports it. This answer choice passes the Agree/Disagree test and is the correct answer.
b) Michiko's argument does not mention the ancient Olympics, so this cannot be the point at issue between them. They disagree about the principle behind the modern Olympics, not whether professionals participated in the ancient games.
c) Michiko might agree with this statement (or at least agree that the idea behind the modern Olympics is to showcase the world's finest athletes), but we don't know whether Juan believes that the modern Olympics showcase the world's finest athletes. This answer choice is incorrect.
d) Juan would disagree with this statement, as he believes that amateur athletes do not have the financial resources available to professional athletes. However, Michiko's argument provides no indication as to whether she would agree or disagree with this position. She may not consider the financial imbalance between amateurs and professionals to be an issue.
e) This answer choice can be quickly eliminated since neither speaker addresses the role of the government in sponsoring professional and amateur athletes.
In conclusion, the correct answer choice is (a), which accurately expresses the point at issue between Juan and Michiko - whether the participation of both amateur and professional athletes is in accord with the ideals of the modern Olympics.