December 1991 LSAT Section 2 Question 4

A work of architecture, if it is to be both inviting and functional for public use, must be unobtrusive, taking secon...

bingolawyer on October 15, 2019

How to make sense

Hi! I can somewhat see why the correct answer is correct, but I can't figure out why the incorrect answers are wrong. Could you please explain? Thank you

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SamA on October 15, 2019

Hello @bingolawyer,

I'll go through the answer choices and explain why they are incorrect.

If a work of architecture is to be inviting (I), and functional for public use (FPU), then it must be unobtrusive (U). This is diagrammed as follows:

I and FPU - - - - - - - - - -> U

A. This option makes the classic mistake of confusing sufficient and necessary conditions. Being unobtrusive is necessary for a work to be inviting and functional. However, just because it is unobtrusive, we cannot say for certain that it is inviting and functional.
U - - - - - -> I and FPU is not valid. Do you see how this has flipped our sufficient and necessary conditions?

C. The passage doesn't say that an architect with a strong personality can't produce functional buildings. The problem is when their strong personalities take over the work, which may not always be the case.

D. This is the same mistake as answer choice A. Fulfilling a necessary condition does not guarantee a sufficient condition.

E. There is a difference between expressing a personality and letting a strong personality take over the work. The author only discusses the latter.

bingolawyer on October 15, 2019

Thank you!