October 2010 LSAT Section 5 Question 24

One is likely to feel comfortable approaching a stranger if the stranger is of one's approximate age. Therefore, long...

Samantha-Alexis on July 7, 2019

can you please explain how answer choice B and C are incorrect?

I understand why answer choice E is correct, but can you please explain how answer choice B and C are incorrect? Answer choice B explains a faulty causal relationship, which I thought the stimulus did. And for answer choice C, is it incorrect because we are only concerned about strangers and anything about non-strangers is not important to evaluating the argument?

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shunhe on December 31, 2019

Hi @Samantha-Alexis,

(B) is incorrect because there is no such inference. The characteristic (which here, is presumably being the same approximate age) is qualified by words such as "probably." Thus, there is no definite inference of a characteristic because it is present in most similar situations.

(C) is incorrect because with regards to this specific stimulus, it's irrelevant as to whether one is more likely to approach strangers or non-strangers when they're of the approximate age. Let's say that people are more likely to approach non-strangers and become long-term friends; in that case, they would still be the same approximate age, which is what is at issue here. It's the same in the other case where people are more likely to approach strangers. Hope this helps, and feel free to ask any further questions to help clear things up.