LSAT Discussion Forum

Claire Horan wrote:Hi T.B. Justin,

I don't completely follow your explanation, but it looks like you are on the right track. We can test answer choice B by treating it as true and evaluating how it affects the argument. The government wants an accurate count, but B says the industry could find out what they want by turning in only a few birds. The fishing industry still has the same incentive to misreport that caused the original problem.

I hope this helps!

Thanks Claire, I have a couple curious follow ups!

About using "in only"- does that equate to "if only." I think it sounds similar in this instance, can that be used, in general, when coming across "if only?"

Also, suppose in answer choice B it used "only if;" I think that would mean that it is necessary that a few sea birds killed by the nets were examined and not necessarily true that the fishing industry could find out whether the fish it catches are contaminated with toxins.

Justin,

No, "if only" and "in only" are not interchangeable in Claire's explanation nor are they generally interchangeable.

"In only" is not a phrase in Claire's explanation. She uses the expression "turning in," which means "surrendering." Additionally, "only" is a counting concept in her explanation; it's not used as a conditional word.

"If only" is a phrase that is generally used to express a desire to change a past event or to express one of several possible reasons for doing something. Example--"if only I had chosen B, I would have gotten this question correct." Or, "Bob volunteered to deliver the shipment to the mountain village, if only to take in the scenery along the way."

Finally, yes, if you changed "if only" to "only if," that would change B to a conditional:

Learn examine

Successful use and interpretation of English and logical expressions in English requires knowledge of and attentiveness to idiomatic phrasing.

Hey Brook!

Thank you for these responses, they are truly insightful.