LSAT PrepTest 43 Section 3 Question 21 Explanation | Logical Reasoning

I didn't write the following blog post. It was already on the blog when I took over the URL. The following blog post may contain mistakes. -Steve

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Here's a Logical Reasoning question from the June 2004 LSAT.

A chain of phrases can help here (just underline on the real thing and on practice tests, though):

Everyone in cleanup got certificate --> cleanup same time as fair --> Some in cleanup not in art

Remember, we assume all this is true, we don't question it, even though it may have some logical holes in it. Any number of things might be true as a result of this argument, so we'll just jump into the choices without pre-phrasing:

A) This is beyond the argument's scope and thus incorrect. The argument makes no claim about everyone who gets a community recognition certificate. It only says that some people who were in cleanup (and got certificates) weren't in art. Maybe certificates were given to the art people too.

B) Correct. The argument says some cleanup people (and, since everyone in cleanup got a certificate, some of the people who got certificates) weren't in art. So, it cannot be that everyone who got a certificate was in art.

C) Wrong for the same reason as A. The argument doesn't make a claim about everyone who got certificates...maybe the art people did too.

D) Wrong for the same reason as A and C. This choice is the same as saying "Everyone who got certificates was in cleanup"...one key skill is being able to convert all these "nots" and convoluted language into simple, direct language. It will come with practice. Once you recognize that this choice is asserting that "Everyone who got certificates was in cleanup," you know it's wrong for the same reason as A and C (because the argument doesn't make a claim about everyone who got certificates, and maybe other groups got them too).

E) Clearly out of scope. The argument talks about who is in what group, not who is concerned with what issue. One might be concerned without being in a group.

Remember:

1) Use a chain of phrases and, if you're not sure exactly what you're looking for, just jump into the choices without a pre-phrase.

2) Get rid of choices that are beyond the argument's scope (if the argument doesn't directly address what the choice is talking about, the choice need not be true as a result of the argument).