Exam LSAT Section 1 Logical Reasoning topic 1 question 179 discussion

Actual exam question from Test Prep's LSAT Section 1 Logical Reasoning

Question #: 179
Topic #: 1

[All LSAT Section 1 Logical Reasoning Questions]

Joseph: My encyclopedia says that the mathematician Pierre de Fermat died in 1665 without leaving behind any written proof for a theorem that he claimed nonetheless to have proved. Probably this alleged theorem simply cannot be proved, sinceas the article points outno one else has been able to prove it.
Therefore, it is likely that Fermat was either lying or else mistaken when he made his claim.
Laura: Your encyclopedia is out of date. Recently someone has in fact proved Fermat's theorem. And since the theorem is provable, your claimthat Fermat was lying or mistakenclearly is wrong.
Joseph's statement that "this alleged theorem simply cannot be proved" plays which one of the following roles in his argument?

A. an assumption for which no support is offered
B. a subsidiary conclusion on which his argument's main conclusion is based
C. a potential objection that his argument anticipates and attempts to answer before it is raised
D. the principal claim that his argument is structured to refute
E. background information that neither supports nor undermines his argument's conclusion

Show Suggested Answer

Suggested Answer: B 🗳️
We get a chance at two questions for this dialogue stimulus; lets scan them before we read the stimulus. Q. 13, a Method of Argument question, asks us for the role played by a statement of Joseph, and Q. 14, a Flaw question, asks us to identify a flaw in Lauras argument. Joseph introduces us to Fermat, and tells us that
Fermat was lying or wrong in claiming to have proved the theorem. Laura responds that the theorem has been recently proved and, so, Fermat was not lying or wrong about having proved the theorem. Joseph’s statement that "this alleged theorem . . ." is a conclusion of his argument, but not his overall main point. This statement is supported by the evidence that immediately follows itthat no one else has proved it. The use of that evidence to support the statement in question makes it a conclusion, but not the main conclusion. Josephs main conclusion is that Fermat was either lying or wrong, which is supported by his statement that the theorem cannot be proved. Choice B. states just that.

by [deleted] at March 9, 2025, 1:31 p.m.

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