Exam LSAT Section 1 Logical Reasoning topic 1 question 224 discussion

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

Question #: 224
Topic #: 1

[All LSAT Section 1 Logical Reasoning Questions]

If something would have been justifiably regretted if it had occurred, then it is something that one should not have desired in the first place. It follows that many forgone pleasures should not have been desired in the first place.
The conclusion above follows logically if which one of the following is assumed?

A. One should never regret one's pleasures.
B. Forgone pleasures that were not desired would not have been justifiably regretted.
C. Everything that one desires and then regrets not having is a forgone pleasure.
D. Many forgone pleasures would have been justifiably regretted.
E. Nothing that one should not have desired in the first place fails to be a pleasure.

Show Suggested Answer

Suggested Answer: D 🗳️
This assumption question is almost formulaic, as long as you dont get bogged down in the abstract wording. The argument is: If you do something that you should regret, then you shouldnt have desired it; therefore, many forgone pleasures should not have been desired to begin with. Both the evidence and conclusion contain "something that should not have been desired in the first place." The term that seems to appear out of nowhere in the conclusion is "forgone pleasures."In order to legitimately link "forgone pleasures" to "not desired in the first place," we need to connect the new term—"forgone pleasures"—to the element in the evidence linked to "not desired in the first place": "justifiably regretted."
Choice D. provides this connection. If the wording throws you, think of it in terms of algebraic variables. The argument can be abstracted as follows: If X(justifiably regretted), then Y (should not have been desired). It follows that Z (forgone pleasures) is Y. Well, that works only if we connect Z with X. Again, choice D.

by [deleted] at March 9, 2025, 1:35 p.m.

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