Q8 - Union member: Some members of

[robowarren]

Hi,

Could someone explain why C is a better answer than E? I feel like both are valid, and E is a better answer because the stimulus uses two references to time: "calling for an immediate strike" and "we must not strike now".

My reasoning was that they have this fund with money set aside for this exact purpose. So I thought he overlooked the fact that this is exactly what you should use the money for and you should strike now and not wait..... because you don't know if there will be another time.

C makes sense to me, but I deemed it too general.... as I feel that anyone who goes on strike will have to feel that the outcome will outweigh the bad because they will get benefits...

thoughts?

[ManhattanPrepLSAT1]

Good question robowarren! You always have questions on ones that are interesting.

I can see why you went for answer choice (E). The argument could be read as attempting to persuade the labor union to find a more appropriate/advantageous time to strike. But that would be reading into the union member's argument something he/she was not trying to establish. The union member does not try to conclude that we should strike later or when it's more advantageous. Instead the union member is just saying that "we should not strike now." This does not imply that the union member thinks they should strike later.

So what's wrong with suggesting that we should not strike now. Well this is actually a classic setup. The argument says that something is bad after listing all sorts of negatives that are associated with it. But with all such choices, you should way the pros and the cons. This is similar to the issue of net vs. total benefit. The argument has failed to consider any of the positives that might be associated with striking now and whether those positives could outweigh any of the cited negative consequences. Answer choice (C) points this error out.

Incorrect Answers

(A) is not true. The argument considered that the union would need to cut into their strike fund.
(B) is not true. The argument does not fail to define adequately what entails a significant financial loss, since it does not need to do so.
(D) is out of scope. We don't need to assume that the union's financial strength is a factor in their bargaining position.
(E) is out of scope. The argument does not conclude that the union should strike later, so it need not be assumed that now is the most opportune moment to strike.