Q9 - Many airlines offer

[smiller]

Question Type:
Principle Support

Stimulus Breakdown:
Premise:
Carbon offset fees are invested in projects that would have happened even without the investment.

Intermediate Conclusion:
No carbon emissions are prevented.

Conclusion:
Carbon offset fees are almost entirely ineffective.

Answer Anticipation:
We're looking for an answer that either links the premise to the intermediate conclusion, or links the intermediate conclusion to the final conclusion. A useful prediction might be "if fees are invested in projects that would still happen without them then no carbon emissions are prevented." Another one might be, "if no carbon emissions are prevented then the fees are almost entirely ineffective."

Correct answer:
B

Answer choice analysis:
(A) A solution can be effective or ineffective regardless of whether or not it absolves someone from the original harm. This answer doesn't necessarily support the reasoning in the argument.

(B) This doesn't exactly match either of our predictions, but it's close. The outcome that would have occurred "in the absence of a certain action" matches our premise, and the outcome not being "a consequence of the action" aligns with our intermediate conclusion that "no carbon emissions are prevented (by the projects)." We're looking for an answer that "most helps to justify" the reasoning, not one that completely justifies it. Since the other four answers contain statements that go beyond the scope of the argument, choice (B) is our best option.

(C) The argument does not directly involve moral praise and whether or not someone is worthy of it. It's unclear how moral praise directly impacts the argument.

(D) This is tricky, because it seems to align with the premise and the general tone of the argument. However, answer choice (D) is about what should or should not happen. The conclusion is not stating that the carbon offset fees should or should not be offered. That's beyond the scope of the argument. The argument is about the effectiveness of the fees. On the LSAT, this is an important difference.

(E) Do the projects mentioned in the stimulus involve the largest source of carbon emissions? Maybe, or maybe not. We don't know, so we have no idea if this answer is relevant.

Takeaway/Pattern:
This question shows why the wrong-to-right process works so well when evaluating answers in LR. On a more difficult question like this one, the correct answer might not immediately jump out as correct. Your ability to spot and eliminate incorrect answers is crucial for success.

#officialexplanation