Q7. - Because people are generally better at detecting

[Mab6q]

I'm embarrassed to have missed this one because there is no explanation for it yet I spent so much time reviewing it, and still I'm confused.

First and foremost, is the question asking us for the general principle of the stimulus as a whole, or is it asking for the principle that is expressly stated: "one should always have one's own work checked by someone else?

If it's the latter, which I did not see the question as, that makes D more compelling that the rest of the choices. I just hate that the LSAT plays on that ambiguity.

[WaltGrace1983]

I'm embarrassed to have missed this one because there is no explanation for it yet I spent so much time reviewing it, and still I'm confused.

First and foremost, is the question asking us for the general principle of the stimulus as a whole, or is it asking for the principle that is expressly stated: "one should always have one's own work checked by someone else?

If it's the latter, which I did not see the question as, that makes D more compelling that the rest of the choices. I just hate that the LSAT plays on that ambiguity.

This is a principle-apply/principle-example question. There are essentially two kinds of principle questions:

(1) those that give you an argument and you have to justify that argument with some kind of principle. These are called Principle Support questions and they are very similar to sufficient assumption questions. An example of this would be something like: "I love cheese. Therefore, I love cheese pizza." The correct answer would say something like, "if one loves a single component of a larger whole, that person will love the whole." These types of questions are the hefty hefty majority, however I think that might be changing with newer PTs.

(2) those that give you a principle and you have to find an alternative situation that the given principle conforms to. They are very similar to parallel reasoning questions.

The question stem will give you an indication of what type of principle question you are working with and, if it doesn't, the answer choices certainly will because they will all seem very out of scope.

As for this particular question, it goes like this:

People are better at detecting mistakes in another's work than in their own --> principle: one should have work checked by someone else

We are really trying to justify the principle here, but we'll probably use the idea about mistakes too.

(A) What about having someone else check your work? Eliminate.

(B) This might even weaken the premises a bit because it shows a deeper understanding (ability to spot mistakes?) in your own views. Either way though, this doesn't talk about having someone check your work. Eliminate.

(C) This kind of deals with other people checking your work but in a kind of vague roundabout way. Either way, it makes a comparison between one group and another group, both of which are not the person making the argument. This is the critical distinction that makes C wrong. The original principle is comparing someone else to you. (C)'s principle is about comparing X group to Y group, not X group to you or Y group to you. Eliminate.

(D) Perfect. This deals directly with someone checking your work because they are in a better position to do it. Notice that the "better" here is referring to a comparison between YOU and SOMEONE ELSE, unlike (C).

(E) This has nothing to do with avoiding mistakes. Eliminate.

[Jdanz653]

Correct me if I'm wrong, but I also eliminated C because the principle mentions correcting a mistake whereas answer choice C is about identifying a good argument. Is that difference enough to eliminate the answer choice or am I over thinking this ?