Q12 - The fire that destroyed the Municipal Building started

[julia.korolkova]

This is another one that I got wrong and here is my explanation on why the answer is B:

A - clearly wrong since we are given statements which all lead to the conclusion. The evidence is not suppose to be viewed by itself but rather the evidence works together to contribute to the conclusion.
B - this one is tricky but is the correct answer. Rephrasing this answer to use the stimulus, we get, establishing that Thomas saw the fire by showing that ABC occurred (fire-fighters did not leave until late afternoon and no one could have been near the fire and not seen it) by showing that ABC (mentioned above) occurred is enough too show that Thomas saw the fire. The stimulus was giving us conditions which were sufficient to show that the fire occurred which is the relationship described in this answer.
C - wrong there is no mention of why the view held by someone would be tempting.
D - wrong no mention of events in the past.
E - wrong we do not get any support to say the evidence is first hand, for all we know the author heard this on the news and actually was not at the vicinity of the fire.

[rinagoldfield]

Hey julia.korolkova!

Writing explanations of problems you got wrong is a truly excellent way to study for the LSAT, so nice work. I agree with your explanation, but will add a little more to your explanation of (B), the correct answer.

The approach of substituting concrete events for the abstract phrases in the answer choice is smart, but I interpreted (B) slightly differently than you. Here’s my interpretation:

The argument establishes that "one thing occurred" [THOMAS SAW THE FIRE] by showing that "another thing occurred" [THOMAS WENT BY THE MUNICIPAL BUILDING] and "that this second thing was enough to ensure the first thing" [ANYONE WHO WAS NEAR THE MUNICIPAL BUILDING MUST HAVE SEEN THE FIRE].

Only a little different than yours. Keep up the good work!

--Rina

[ykim435gatech]

I had a further question about this problem. The choice (B) does not seem to include anything about the fact that there is no way for him to get from his apartment to the library without getting past the Municipal Building. (Which is why I thought the answer choice was wrong) Why was this information not important?

Thank you!