LSAT Question Explanation
PT 108, Section 3, Question 24
Parallel StructureArgument structure
To get fiscal security or a a workable budget, you need to manage finances wisely or project financial obligations realistically.
A family needs to manage finances wisely to get fiscal security. Realistic projections of finances are needed for a workable budget.
Explanation
This is a pretty simple structure, and a logical argument. There are two conditional relationships. One gives a necessary condition for fiscal security, and one gives a necessary condition for a workable budget. Then it concludes that to get either fiscal security or a workable budget you would need either one of the necessary conditions or the other.
P1: Fiscal security → Manage finances wisely P2: Workable budget → Project financial obligations realistically
C: Fiscal security OR Workable budget → Manage finances wisely OR Project financial obligations realistically
Answer choices
This is the same structure, it gives two conditional relationships then says that to get one or the other of the sufficient conditions you would need one or the other of the necessary conditions.
P1: Enough food → Use pesticides P2: Health problems reduced → Harmless pesticides
C: Enough food OR Health problems reduced → Use pesticides OR Harmless pesticides
The premises here are conditional relationships, but the conclusion doesn't match. It's not giving us the same sufficient and necessary conditions combined with "or."
These premises aren't conditional. So we can very quickly eliminate this answer choice.
This gives us two necessary conditions for the same sufficient condition, retaining an employee. The stimulus gave us two different sufficient conditions in the premises.
This gives us three necessary conditions for the same sufficient condition, a successful charity drive. The stimulus had two different sufficient conditions in the premises.