Q20 - Professor Donnelly's exams

[haeaznboiyoung]

Narrowed it down to E and B. Can some please explain why B is correct over E?

[ManhattanPrepLSAT1]

Great question. Remember that we're looking for an argument that commits both flaws. So what are the two flaws.

1. Parts to whole - what's true of a group is not necessarily true for each member of the group.
2. Relative to absolute - just because Professor Donnelly's exams are more difficult than Professor Curtis's exams doesn't mean that Professor Donnelly's exams are actually difficult.

(A) has the parts to whole issue, but doesn't move from relative to absolute.
(B) has both flaws and so is the correct answer.
(C) has the relative to absolute issue (albeit backwards) but doesn't have the parts to whole issue.
(D) has the relative to absolute issue, but not the parts to whole flaw.
(E) has the parts to whole issue, but not the relative to absolute flaw.

Does that clear this one up?

[haeaznboiyoung]

Ah I think I see it now. The answer E is saying that the Calc test is more difficult than the history test but does not commit the flaw of saying it is a difficult test period. Thanks!

[Raiderblue17]

can somebody explain this a little further, i keep looking over this one and CANT seem to get what were really looking for.

[nflamel69]

I saw E quite different than mshermn. While the argument clearly had a whole to part flaw, the flaw in E is not distinct at all. In the argument, we can be certain that the question is part of the exam, while on E the jump from a subject to a test seems too far fetched for me.I dont really know how to explain it. PLease let me know if it makes sense to anyone else.

[timmydoeslsat]

I saw E quite different than mshermn. While the argument clearly had a whole to part flaw, the flaw in E is not distinct at all. In the argument, we can be certain that the question is part of the exam, while on E the jump from a subject to a test seems too far fetched for me.I dont really know how to explain it. PLease let me know if it makes sense to anyone else.

I think Matt is right in his explanation.

I do see what you are saying regarding whole-to-part and how this goes beyond it with the subject of a test. Nevertheless, it does not have the relative flaw, meaning we would want this answer choice to claim something is in fact difficult simply due to it being more difficult than another thing.

The issue of whole-to-part is still somewhat there with the jump from mathematics to calculus, while the issue of a test does throw a twist on the concept.

[syousif3]

Okay Im so confused but heres how I got the answer
I eliminated C and E with no problem
A) didnt seem to make sense and I eliminated it right when I saw most not a good match

D is it wrong beause it says that plot and didnt specify like e.g the plot from the 1st novel

[griffin.811]

My approach (helps that 18 was a similar question, no surprise I got them both wrong):

what are the 2 flaws of the stimulus:

1. Because D's test is MORE difficult than C's the test MUST be difficult.
(Well not really, what if my chem test is more difficult than my calc test, but couldnt they both still be fairly easy? this would mean neither is difficult.)

2. Because the WHOLE (in this case the test) is difficult, EACH PART OF THE WHOLE must also be difficult.
(Well lets take the LSAT for example. Some of us find the test as a whole difficult, but individual parts maybe easy. perhaps you are exceptionally strong in LG's but the other sections don't come as easy.

B says this. here are B's Flaws:

1. Assumes new book is good because its "better" than the first.
(well my 2nd Pt was better than my 1st, but both were terrible)

2. Because the new book is good, each poem in the new book must be good.
(there are plenty of good books that have one or two poorly written chapters)

Why D is incorrect: Not too solid on this part, which is why I came. I think it is because we have something that says the whole is complex, so the part must be even more complex (as indicated by "very").

[e. chung]

I thought that D also has both flaws:
Parts to whole: first novel vs. all novels she's written
Relative to absolute: more complicated vs. very complex

I thought that B was the better choice because it's more parallel to the stimulus... in that we're talking about most recent x (new book of poetry) vs. a previous group of x (all her other books of poetry).

D is about a previous x (the first novel) vs. the most recent group of x (all subsequent novels).

The stimulus is about the last exam (most recent x) vs. previous exams (a previous group of x).

Does anyone agree, here?

[maryadkins]

(D) is missing the part to whole. We're TOLD that it's more complicated than any other novel she's written. We aren't assuming that...

[BensonC202]

I thought that D also has both flaws:
Parts to whole: first novel vs. all novels she's written
Relative to absolute: more complicated vs. very complex

I thought that B was the better choice because it's more parallel to the stimulus... in that we're talking about most recent x (new book of poetry) vs. a previous group of x (all her other books of poetry).

D is about a previous x (the first novel) vs. the most recent group of x (all subsequent novels).

The stimulus is about the last exam (most recent x) vs. previous exams (a previous group of x).

Does anyone agree, here?

I actually did have the same thought as deciding between both B & D, and I believe it must because we interpret the " grammar " wrongly.

So, Could it be true that Shield's first novel is the only novel she wrote ? If it is true, the the phrase of " a more complicated plot than any other that she has written " is actually comparing the Plot to the other plot she wrote from the first novel.

If Shield does have other novels, then a more proper way of the phrase to be is " a more complicated plot than it/those of any other that she has written. "

Which is to say, D only errors on relative vs absolute and that error is not derived from the basis of one characteristic of subgroup A of Group A is stronger than it of Group B, as a whole.