Q17 - In practice the government will

[theaether]

Ok in my 2004 Deconstructed book with PTs43-45 the answer explanation given is for choice B, that governments are not necessarily correct. In the LSAT blog answer key it says the answer is C, which is a conditional statement that ends up being government says indiv. have rights --> indivs have rights.

Which one is correct?

[ManhattanPrepLSAT1]

The answer is definitely (B). Hope that helps!

[inherentdtermination]

Can you please explain B?

I thought "B" was incorrect due to the "may" in B: What government officials and courts say an individual's rights are "may" not be correct. I incorrectly believed that the author thinks that which ever moral rights the government or its officials/courts ultimately decide you have are "always" wrong. This would warrant B to read, "What government officials and courts say an individual's rights are, "are never" correct.

Was the "may" in B justified by the "necessarily" in "But that does not mean that the government's view is (necessarily) the correct view?"

Lastly, can you please explain why answer choice E is wrong?

Thanks!

[jamiejames]

Can you please explain B?

I thought "B" was incorrect due to the "may" in B: What government officials and courts say an individual's rights are "may" not be correct. I incorrectly believed that the author thinks that which ever moral rights the government or its officials/courts ultimately decide you have are "always" wrong. This would warrant B to read, "What government officials and courts say an individual's rights are, "are never" correct.

Was the "may" in B justified by the "necessarily" in "But that does not mean that the government's view is (necessarily) the correct view?"

Lastly, can you please explain why answer choice E is wrong?

Thanks!

In short, yes, your reasoning is correct.

In the text, the author says "but that does not mean that the government's view is necessarily the correct view."

Now, if that had read, "the government's view is never the correct view," then the "may" wouldn't match up, but the grey area that both "not necessarily" and "may" create means that they match up.

E is incorrect because it doesn't say that anywhere in the text. You may be able to possibly infer it (though it'd be quite a jump, and one you couldn't likely make) but furthermore, for main conclusion questions, the conclusion is often written out there in the text, and you just have to find it in the answers (it is perhaps slightly rephrased as it is here.) The trick in these questions, or at least the way that the examiner is trying to trick you, is by making two or three sentences seem like they are conclusions, and your job is to find the main one, not the intermediate one, nor any evidence. The main conclusions will usually have a "thus" or "therefore" or "hence" etc before it.

[ohthatpatrick]

Great explanation, but I want to tweak something said at the end there.

On Main Conclusion questions, the conclusion will hardly ever be prefaced by "thus, therefore, hence". That would make this task too easy. (Again, "hardly ever" ... there are some exceptions)

The VAST majority of conclusions on Main Conclusion questions are either the very first sentence or found in the middle after a "but/yet/however".

Hope this helps.

[deedubbew]

vast majority means nearly all right?

[tommywallach]

I'd say so.

-t