Q4

[b91302310]

I'm not quite sure about why C is the correct answer. It seems that we have to refer to the beginning of the second paragragh to answer this question.

Is this answer correct because the writers of literature use the law loosely to convey a particular idea, so the legal training might be useful/helpful to deal with literature which involves the answer to a legal question?

Furthermore, I'm also quite confused that why Posner uses line 22-25 as reasons to criticize the assumption that lawyers can offer special insights into literature that deals with legal matters ?

Could anyone explain it ?

Thanks.

[ManhattanPrepLSAT1]

You've found the relevant text in the passage. Notice that 4 of the answer choices (A), (B), (D), and (E) have law used as a metaphor. At the beginning of the second paragragh, Posner is criticizing an assumption of the law and literature movement - namely that lawyers can offer special insight into literature that deals with legal matters.

The reason why Posner doesn't believe that lawyers can play such a role is that law is typically used by authors of literature as a metaphor. That can eliminate all of the incorrect answer choices for this question. But what about the correct answer? Posner would find legal training useful for interpreting a literary text in which one of the key issues involves the answer to a legal question because that is the lawyer's specialty - the law. For this sort of question a lawyer wouldn't need to know anything about literature. Whereas interpreting a metaphor is probably not something covered in legal training.

Does that answer you question?

[tzyc]

Still not sure about this question...How is L22-25 related to C?
What's the "key issue"??

Thank you

[joewoo198256]

Still not sure about this question...How is L22-25 related to C?
What's the "key issue"??

Thank you

I think the corresponding part is line 25-27: legal question per se are seldom at issue in literature. What does "at issue" mean? it means the most important in what is being discussed, that is why P thinks lawyers cannot offer special insight into lit dealing with legal matter, because legal problems is not the key issue in these lits.

Hope that helps!

[LilyY729]

Just posting my thoughts here. My way of understanding is slightly different.

My first attempt fails - I chose E because I misunderstood what the question asks. E is the answer that Posner argued why legal training ISN'T helpful because writers only use law loosely.

First the question stem: the question asks that in what circumstance Posner might find legal training helpful. But the main body of the second paragraph is P criticizing this assumption that lawyers can offer special insights. If we read further, we can see that P states "writers of literature use the law loosely to convey a particular idea....legal questions per see .... are seldom at issues in literature".

So if we are asking to find an answer to the opposite situation - legal training becomes helpful, based on the passage we can infer that if legal questions are at issues, then legal training can be helpful. And this is exactly what C says.