Q25

[chocolatebunny]

I picked E for this one. Where can support for B be found?

[patrice.antoine]

Lines 9-10 and 21-25.

(E) conflicts with lines 1-5.

[tzyc]

Still confused with this question...
Actually I chose B for this one correctly and
I understand how both the congress and president should be involved in the decision making now, but why/how does it know it's applicable only in "the absence of a declaration of war"?
I thought this phrase means when congress could not be involved in the decision making and the resolution prescribe what the president should do in that case...so not sure why the declaration is applicable in only that case...isn't it applicable in usual time?? (Defined both of them should be involved, so the president should consult with the congress now...etc)
Also regarding to the lines the previous poster provided, it's not related to the resolution, but about the constitution (I think) so not sure how those lines related to the part asked too... (though I understand the author argues that the congress should be involved...)

Thank you.

[tommywallach]

Hey Strawberry,

I don't totally understand your question. I recommend that whenever you write on here, you attempt to write in full sentences with perfectly correct grammar. It's both an exercise (there is an essay on the LSAT!) and helpful for me.

The lines posted by a previous poster are definitely relevant, specifically lines 9-10: "The Constitution gives congress the basic power to declare war..." Congress has the power to officially declare war (outside of the War Powers Act), so the War Powers Act wouldn't be relevant in that case. This new law/resolution is put in place so that the President can't declare war without Congress. If Congress already declared war, then it becomes irrelevant.

Hope that helps!

-t

[BackoftheEnvelope]

(E) conflicts with lines 1-5.

Just thought I'd clear things up. (E) does not conflict with lines 1-5: "The Constitution of the United States does not explicitly define [...] in the absence of a declaration of war." Compare with (E): "in cases in which war has been declared". The passage does not discuss what happens when war is declared, but rather what happens when war is not declared. Some important points in the passage: "the use of armed forces short of a declared war" (20); "in which a state of war was not declared" (28-29); "in the absence of a declaration of war" (49).

(E) is wrong because it's outside the scope of the passage. Nowhere do we talk about what happens when war is declared.