Yesterday, I began my question-by-question response to the free LSAT distributed by LSAC: June 2007. Go ahead and print yourself a copy of that test so you can follow along with me.
The single most important thing I can teach you about the LSAT Logical Reasoning is to begin every question by saying “This argument is bullshit because _______________.” If you can fill in that blank, you are 90% of the way toward answering any type of Logical Reasoning question. You’ve really got to dig in your heels here. The arguments you will see are intentionally incomplete, flawed, and sometimes outright incoherent. If you don’t understand an argument, it’s usually not because you’re dumb. It’s usually because the argument makes no sense. Your task is to understand and articulate why the arguments make no sense.
The argument presented in Question 2 starts with a fact about Labs (they all bark a lot). Then it presents a fact about Saint Bernards (they all rarely bark). Then it says Rosa’s dogs are all Lab/St. Bernard mixes. Then, predictably, it makes a dumbass conclusion about how often Rosa’s dogs bark. Can you tell me why this argument is bullshit?
Nathan Fox
