#21 - It is a travesty of justice

[PresidentLSAT]

I got this correct and I want to double-check my approach cuz it seemed too easy to be at the latter part of the questions.

The argument's conclusion is that the criticism is misplaced. What follows, which is a premise indicator (however), provides support for the conclusion.

A is wrong because it's actually the opposite. It supports the conclusion instead of objecting it.
B has some word salad language but it's had to argue it's a "fact." Even if it were true, B doesn't accurately characterize its purpose in the argument. The author includes it to support her conclusion. That's why it's there.
C is wrong because the argument's conclusion appears before "however."
D is wrong because the false assumption appears earlier in the argument where we are told space launch has greater difficulties.
E at first threw me off because of the wording but "it is used by the argument" is another way of saying premise. It also undermines a viewpoint about spaceships being much more complex.

Hope this is correct lol

[Luke Haqq]

Hi PresidentLSAT!

Those generally seem right but I'll stick to addressing (E). You mention:

E at first threw me off because of the wording but "it is used by the argument" is another way of saying premise. It also undermines a viewpoint about spaceships being much more complex.

It's worth clarifying that the mentioned "viewpoint" seems to be the view that if we can launch rockets, then we can solve social problems. The text mentioned in the question stem challenges that viewpoint by indicating that solving social problems requires understanding the human psyche, which is more complex than rocket technology.

Lastly, on this question being near the end, it's also worth noting that, even if you found it easy, it's perhaps slightly more lengthy than a normal stimulus. At the very least, it's a noticeably short stimulus. As people near the end of a section on the test, many are running out of time and will choose questions with the shortest stimulus. That can make sense to do, but it's also possible that a lengthier stimulus might not be more difficult. Inasmuch as this one is easier, test makers might put an easier but more lengthy question towards the end of a section knowing that many people will choose not to try to answer it.