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- Thu Jun 09, 2016 4:32 pm
#26338
Complete Question Explanation
(See the complete passage discussion here: lsat/viewtopic.php?t=10953)
The correct answer choice is (D)
To weaken the position of the critics of the New Urbanists, we need to show that moving to the suburbs is not necessarily “an expression of people’s legitimate desire to secure the enjoyment and personal mobility provided by the automobile” (lines 47-48). What if people are forced to move to the suburbs, for a variety of economic, educational, or cultural reasons?
Answer choice (A): This is the Opposite answer choice. If city dwellers also spend an inordinate amount of time commuting, then suburban residents are not unique in enduring a lengthy commute. This might weaken the New Urbanists’ argument that small urban neighborhoods are the perfect antidote to suburban sprawl, in turn strengthening the position of their critics.
Answer choice (B): This answer choice is similar to answer choice (A). If most people who drive long distances live in small towns rather than in suburban areas, then the urban development model advocated by the New Urbanists may have downsides similar to those of suburban sprawl. This weakens the Urbanists’ argument, strengthening the position of their critics.
Answer choice (C): The fact that most people who have easy access to shopping and entertainment do not live in the suburbs has no bearing on the critics’ argument. The critics never claimed that the suburbs provide proximity to such venues; they only argue that suburban residents make the volitional choice of living in the suburbs in order to enjoy the freedom of having a car.
Answer choice (D): This is the correct answer choice. If most people who choose to live in the suburbs do so for economic reasons (comparable housing in the city is too expensive), then their decision is not motivated (entirely) by reasons of personal autonomy. This weakens the central argument the passage attributes to the critics of the New Urbanists.
Answer choice (E): The motivations of those who vote in municipal elections have no bearing on the issue at stake.
(See the complete passage discussion here: lsat/viewtopic.php?t=10953)
The correct answer choice is (D)
To weaken the position of the critics of the New Urbanists, we need to show that moving to the suburbs is not necessarily “an expression of people’s legitimate desire to secure the enjoyment and personal mobility provided by the automobile” (lines 47-48). What if people are forced to move to the suburbs, for a variety of economic, educational, or cultural reasons?
Answer choice (A): This is the Opposite answer choice. If city dwellers also spend an inordinate amount of time commuting, then suburban residents are not unique in enduring a lengthy commute. This might weaken the New Urbanists’ argument that small urban neighborhoods are the perfect antidote to suburban sprawl, in turn strengthening the position of their critics.
Answer choice (B): This answer choice is similar to answer choice (A). If most people who drive long distances live in small towns rather than in suburban areas, then the urban development model advocated by the New Urbanists may have downsides similar to those of suburban sprawl. This weakens the Urbanists’ argument, strengthening the position of their critics.
Answer choice (C): The fact that most people who have easy access to shopping and entertainment do not live in the suburbs has no bearing on the critics’ argument. The critics never claimed that the suburbs provide proximity to such venues; they only argue that suburban residents make the volitional choice of living in the suburbs in order to enjoy the freedom of having a car.
Answer choice (D): This is the correct answer choice. If most people who choose to live in the suburbs do so for economic reasons (comparable housing in the city is too expensive), then their decision is not motivated (entirely) by reasons of personal autonomy. This weakens the central argument the passage attributes to the critics of the New Urbanists.
Answer choice (E): The motivations of those who vote in municipal elections have no bearing on the issue at stake.