June 2007 LSAT Question Explanations June 2007 - Sec 2 - LR...

June 2007 - Sec 2 - LR - Q1

Video Transcript:

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Economist: Every business strives
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to increase its productivity for this increases profits for the owners and the
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likelihood that the business will survive but not all efforts to increase
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productivity are beneficial to the business as a whole.
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Often attempts to increase productivity decrease the number of employees which
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clearly harms the dismissed employees as well as the sense of security of the
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retained employees. Alright so our first step is to determine is this an argument or facts
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and this is an argument. What is the point this economist is trying to make to
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you? You notice it is that second sentence that 'not all efforts to
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increase productivity are beneficial to the business as a whole'. How do we
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know that. Well it tells us that often attempts to increase productivity
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decreases the number of employees which clearly harms the dismissed employees as
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well as a sense of security of the roetained employees. So that would be our premise. So
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going to the question stem now: Which of the following most accurately expresses
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the main conclusion of the Economist's argument. Main conclusion. So this is a
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main point question. We've identified
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the conclusion is that not all efforts to increase productivity are beneficial
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to the business as a whole. So now three point we're going to go find the answer choice
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that directly restates that conclusion. Let's take a look here at (A). If an
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action taken to secure the survival of the business fails to enhance the
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welfare of the business's employees that action cannot be good for the business as a
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whole. Is that a restatement of our conclusion you notice clearly it is not. (A)
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does not even have to be true. We have nothing about whether it's enhancing the
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welfare of a business's employees. All we know is that not all efforts to increase
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productivity are beneficial to the business as a whole and why? Because
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often attempts to increase productivity decrease the number of employees which
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clearly harms the dismissed employees as well as a sense of security of retained
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employees. (A) definitely does not work. What about (B)? Some measures taken by
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businesses to increase productivity fail to be beneficial to the business as a
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whole. And you notice that (B) is a direct restatement of the conclusion. So (B)
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would be the correct answer but again let's make sure. Going to (C). Only if
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employees of the business are also its owners will the interests of the
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employees and owners coincide and enabling measures that will be beneficial
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to the business as a whole. Again you notice that is not even stated in our
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passage. How can it be the main point? It is not necessarily true. So (C) is out. (D)
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There is no business that does not make efforts to increase its productivity.
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Well (D) follows from the passage. The first sentence tells us every business
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strives to increase its productivity. So (D) must be true but the problem with (D) is that
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it is not also the main point. So (D) would be out. You notice that's one of
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the traps that they love on these main point questions. They give you answer choices that must be
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true because they're directly stated in the passage
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hoping that students forget the other requirement of the main point question
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that the answer choice also be the main point of the argument. Lastly checking (E).
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Decreasing the number of employees in a business undermines the sense of
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security of retained employees. Again that must be true
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directly stated in the last part of the passage right which clearly harms the
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dismissed employees as well as the sense of security of the retained employees.
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Again that is our premise not our conclusion so he's out.