The use of phrases like "as so–and–so said" or "as the saying goes" suggests that the quote that follows has just bee...
Julie-VJuly 12, 2019
Answers A and D
Hi LSAT Max!
Can someone explain why we can eliminate A? I know that since it's not the right answer, the phrase is used appropriately. However, it was hard for me to eliminate this one because I felt that Fatima being a mathematician wasn't strong enough to support the part of the phrase that says "how much you've got to know".
I also had a hard time eliminating D. This was the answer I chose because I made the mistake of identifying the husband's allergy to cats as as a negative attitude he has towards cats (I'm not sure why I made that inference, but I only caught it after going over the question). Since this answer choice doesn't explicitly state that he dislikes cats and he was willing to go to cat shows with Sharon, does that justify the phrase? Many thanks in advance for the help!
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(A) says, "Fatima was a mathematician who often thought about unsolved problems of mathematics, although it was unpleasant to be reminded that most would probably remain unsolved in her lifetime. As the saying goes, "Strange how much you've got to know before you know how little you know.""
With (A), we know that Fatima is a mathematician and despite her being one, she thought often about unsolved problems and how hard it'd be to solve them. This sounds like she knows a lot about mathematics, but she also knows how much she does not know, so this isn't providing any sort of counterexample to the phrase. Thus, we can get rid of this choice.
(D) says, "Sharon loved cats, but her husband was allergic to them. Still, he was occasionally willing to accompany her to cat shows. As the saying goes, "Shared lives mean shared loves.""
We know Sharon's husband is allergic to cats. However, he's still willing to go to cat shows to support his wife. This does not contradict the idea of a shared life meaning shared loves because we do not know about whether or not the husband really loves cats. Although he's allergic to them, it's possible that he still loves cats. Thus, (D) is out.
(E) says, "Raoul spent a year planning and preparing for a fantastic ski trip. He enjoyed his ski trip greatly until he broke his leg and had to spend two weeks in the hospital. As the saying goes, "All's well that ends well.""
We know that Raoul's ski trip didn't end well. He was really enjoying himself, but then he broke his leg and was in the hospital for two weeks, which shows his ski trip ended on a bad note. The ski trip is a strong counterexample to the saying, so it's certainly used inappropriately. Thus, (E) is the correct answer choice.
Does this make sense? Let us know if you have any more questions!
