Q14 - Commentator: In academic scholarships

[dan]

14. (C)
Question Type: Application
The author concludes that universities should use open-source software because the values embodied in open-source software match those of academia (open, transparent). This is a valid conclusion to draw if one holds the belief that universities should generally choose software that matches the values of the university. The argument is created on the basis of this principle. Answer (C) states this principle.

(A) is incorrect. The argument holds that software should be chosen based on the values it embodies, NOT on how advanced it is, or how much it might help a university meet its goals. (B) is wrong for similar reasons. Cost has nothing to do with it.
(D) is very tempting, but it is incorrect because of the word "efficient." Software that matches the values of the university will not necessarily be the most efficient (at least not according to the argument).
(E) is out of scope (any activity?).


#officialexplanation

[soyeonjeon]

C seems to be an adequate answer that fits well with the contents. However, I chose A because of
"only" in the stimulus. I thought that the reasoning does not necessarily guarantee/leads to the conclusion that universities should use "only" open-source software. I think that the rationale is not airtight.

Only because of ONLY I chose A.
Can you help me out here?

Am I not sticking to the core? My LSAT instructor told me I should always focus on "only"

I also think that the stimulus assumes that there are only two kinds of software, which might not be the case.

Also, wouldn't mission be equivalent to goals? in which case A could suffice as an answer? I still don't understand why A is out of scope. If you take out the "most advanced" part, I think it could be the answer.

What's the role that "since______" plays in the sentence?
Is it not one of the premises together with the part that begins with "This shows that__" ?

Thanks. Appreciate your help.

[ohthatpatrick]

A lot of good questions in there! Let me try to run down the list.

Yes, "since" always indicates a premise. The four terms that always indicate premises are since, because, after all, for .

"This shows that" indicates a conclusion. In this case, it indicates a subsidiary conclusion, because the main conclusion is "universities should use only open-source software".

Why?
open-source better matches the values embodied in scholarship
+
scholarship is central to the mission of universities

Real quick, compare the language of (C) to the language of (A). Which one better matches these core concepts?

(C) discusses values embodied in the activities that are central to the mission of universities . That's the perfect synthesis of the two premises!

You said that if we removed the part about "most advanced" from (A), it would be correct, but also said you weren't sure what made (A) out of scope.

Say whaa? You just identified what makes (A) out of scope: the part about "most advanced". We can't pick an answer just because we would like it if we removed the incorrect part of it.

If part of the answer is incorrect, the answer is incorrect.

However, just for extra nuance and clarification, let's play out your hypothetical.

What if this were (A):
(A) Whatever software tools can achieve the goals of academic scholarship are the ones that should alone be used in universities.

I agree that "alone" matches "only". I agree that "goals" is close enough to "mission".

I disagree that "software tools that can achieve the goals of scholarship" is a fair match for "software that better matches the values embodied in scholarship".

You can embody a set of values without achieving them.

I admit, though, those are pretty close. Hence, let's focus on what's wrong with (A), which is the "most advanced" part.

(A) gives us 2 criteria to consider in order to reach the judgment that we select that type of software: most advanced + can achieve goals.

We don't know that open source is the most advanced, so there's no way to use (A)'s rule to reach the judgment that we select open-source.

Finally, your concern about "only" ... it is definitely a word that we should always pay attention to. And I agree that (C) would not totally prove the argument's conclusion, because, as you said, there could be a 3rd type of software out there that best matches the embodied values.

But, this question stem isn't asking us to pick a principles that would PROVE the argument (like Sufficient Assumption).

Rather, this question stem is asking us to pick a principle that CONFORMS to the argument (like Necessary Assumption).

So you shouldn't be expecting that the correct answer will prove the argument. You would be more correct to think that the correct answer, if negated, would ruin the argument.

Ultimately, though, I think it's wisest/easiest to just focus on which answer best matches the language of the premises and conclusion.

Let me know if you have lingering questions.