Newspaper editor: Law enforcement experts - Assumption ?

Expert replies

pnk: Master | Next Rank: 500 Posts; Posts: 292; Joined: Fri Jul 17, 2009 8:39 amFollowed by: 1 member; Thanked: 6 times

by pnk » Sat Aug 07, 2010 4:31 am

Newspaper editor: Law enforcement experts, as well as most citizens, have finally come to recognize that legal prohibitions against gambling all share a common flaw: no matter how diligent the effort, the laws are impossible to enforce. Ethical qualms notwithstanding, when a law fails to be effective, it should not be a law. That is why there should be no legal prohibition against gambling.
Which one of the following, if assumed, allows the argument's conclusion to be properly drawn?
(A) No effective law is unenforceable.
(B) All enforceable laws are effective.
(C) No legal prohibitions against gambling are enforceable.
(D) Most citizens must agree with a law for the law to be effective.
(E) Most citizens must agree with a law for the law to be enforceable.

[spoiler]LSAT; OA - A; I am confused btn A & C[/spoiler]

Source: Beat The GMAT — Critical Reasoning | Sat Aug 07, 2010 4:31 am

grockit_andrea: GMAT Instructor; Posts: 357; Joined: Wed Aug 12, 2009 8:31 pmFollowed by: 7 members; Thanked: 128 times

by grockit_andrea » Sat Aug 07, 2010 9:51 am

pnk wrote:Newspaper editor: Law enforcement experts, as well as most citizens, have finally come to recognize that legal prohibitions against gambling all share a common flaw: no matter how diligent the effort, the laws are impossible to enforce. Ethical qualms notwithstanding, when a law fails to be effective, it should not be a law. That is why there should be no legal prohibition against gambling.
Which one of the following, if assumed, allows the argument's conclusion to be properly drawn?
(A) No effective law is unenforceable.
(B) All enforceable laws are effective.
(C) No legal prohibitions against gambling are enforceable.
(D) Most citizens must agree with a law for the law to be effective.
(E) Most citizens must agree with a law for the law to be enforceable.

[spoiler]LSAT; OA - A; I am confused btn A & C[/spoiler]

The passage's conclusion is that there should be no legal prohibition against gambling. This is because when a law is ineffective, it should not be a law. The major evidence to back that up is that laws against gambling are impossible to enforce, according to the second part of the first sentence. There's a disconnect here between a law being enforceable and a law being effective; the assumption is that those two words are interchangeable. The correct assumption will establish that an unenforceable law is ineffective. Choice A does that. Choice C is merely a restatement of everything following the colon in the first sentence.

Andrea A.
Grockit Tutor
https://www.grockit.com

GMAT Course Reviews

563 reviews

1168 reviews

431 reviews

359 reviews

147 reviews

5/5

5 Star (563 Reviews)

"Target Test Prep is the closest to the official version of the GMAT exam, about 99% accuracy in terms of the quality and quantity of information. The course has excellently created singular sets of focused lessons and tests for every possible topic that one could come across in the official GMAT exam."

"The TTP course maximizes the efficiency of the time you spend studying. It will take time and effort but I could almost guarantee that if you complete the course exactly as it is laid out you will get an amazing score. They also have a very responsive team willing to help with any questions you might have."

"TTP has two things that I think no other test prep company offers: A teaching approach that reinforces understanding and an attitude that will give you the mental preparedness needed to succeed on the test. TTP gives you a deep understanding of the concept you need to know while teaching you how to think."

Write a Review