LSAT Explanation PT 41, S1, Q18: Health officials now recommend that people

LSAT Question Stem

The argument is vulnerable to criticism on which one of the following grounds? 

Logical Reasoning Question Type

This is a Flaw question. 

Correct Answer

The correct answer to this question is E. 

LSAT Question Complete Explanation

First, let's analyze the argument in the passage. The argument can be broken down as follows:

1. Premise: Health officials recommend reducing the intake of high-cholesterol foods, such as red meat.

2. Premise: Total consumption of beef has declined, indicating that many people are following this recommendation.

3. Premise: Steak restaurants are flourishing despite an overall decline in the restaurant industry.

4. Conclusion: A lot of people are completely ignoring the health recommendation.

The question type is a Flaw question, which asks us to identify the vulnerability or weakness in the argument. Before discussing the answer choices, let's come up with an "Evaluate" question: "Are the people who patronize steak restaurants reducing their cholesterol intake in other ways?"

Now, let's go through the answer choices:

a) This answer choice suggests that the argument neglects to consider whether steak restaurants offer low prices to attract customers. However, this is not relevant to the argument's conclusion about people ignoring the health recommendation. The price of steak dinners does not directly impact whether people are following the health recommendation or not.

b) This answer choice claims that the argument assumes that people who eat steak at steak restaurants do not need to reduce their cholesterol intake. However, the argument is not concerned with whether these people need to reduce their intake or not; it is focused on whether they are ignoring the health recommendation. This answer choice is not relevant to the argument's conclusion.

c) This answer choice suggests that the argument presupposes that the popularity of steak restaurants is due to a decrease in the price of beef. However, the argument does not mention or rely on the price of beef to reach its conclusion. This answer choice is not relevant to the argument's vulnerability.

d) This answer choice claims that the argument mistakes the correlation of the decline in beef consumption and the decline in the restaurant industry for a causal relation. However, the argument is not focused on establishing a causal relationship between these two factors. Instead, it is concerned with whether people are ignoring the health recommendation. This answer choice is not relevant to the argument's vulnerability.

e) Correct answer. This answer choice points out that the argument fails to consider whether the people who patronize steak restaurants have heeded the health officials by reducing their cholesterol intake in their at-home diets. This is a crucial piece of information that could determine whether the argument's conclusion is valid or not. If people are reducing their cholesterol intake at home and still occasionally eating steak at restaurants, they might not be completely ignoring the health recommendation, as the argument suggests.

In conclusion, the correct answer is E, as it highlights a significant weakness in the argument by pointing out that it does not consider the possibility of people reducing their cholesterol intake in other ways while still patronizing steak restaurants.