LSAT Question Explanation
PT 108, Section 3, Question 14
Parallel FlawArgument structure
Jurgens should be elected mayor.
Honest people are usually not tough enough to run the city. Jurgens is dishonest.
Explanation
Miller's evidence supports that generally honest people may not be tough enough to run the city. But that doesn't mean Jurgens should be elected just because they're dishonest. There are many other factors that need to be considered. Miller takes the absence of a trait that may disqualify a candidate and makes a positive conclusion because Jurgens lacks that trait.
Miller's reasoning is not strictly conditional because of the word "usually," but if we treat it as conditional for the sake of the parallel reasoning question we can see that Miller is confusing what is necessary for being mayor with what is sufficient for being mayor. It may be necessary to be dishonest, but that trait alone is not sufficient to conclude that Jurgens should be elected.
Answer choices
Here Miller again takes the absence of a negative trait (not fast food) to make a positive conclusion (we should visit the restaurant again). While taking some time to prepare the food may be more or less necessary for a good restaurant, it's not nearly sufficient. One may also have to consider the hospitality, atmosphere, healthy choices, etc. when deciding to visit a restaurant again.
In the stimulus Miller made a positive conclusion based on the absence of a negative trait. In the stimulus Wu said that dishonesty is bad, and Miller disagreed by responding that the opposite (honesty) can be bad.
In (B) Wu says that aggression is bad, and Miller just disagrees and says aggression is good.
Similarly to (B), here Wu indicates that the bright color is bad, and Miller just disagrees and says that a bright color would be a good choice.
Similar to (B) and (C), here Wu says that the expense of the software is a problem, and Miller argues that it's a good thing.
In the stimulus Wu rejected a candidate and then Miller responded that actually we should elect them.
Here Wu puts forward a candidate based on their experience. Miller disagrees and offers a completely different candidate by saying that experience is not necessary, and is lacked by everyone who's just starting out.