LSAT Flaw Practice Question: Relative vs. Absolute
An original flaw question from our free Question of the Day rotation, built around a trap the LSAT reuses constantly: relative vs. absolute. Try it first, then read the explanation — it teaches the move, not just the answer.
Your job:Name what's wrong with the argument.
A consumer-safety group ranked the Hollowell Gorge zip line as the safest of the fourteen zip lines operating in the province, citing its inspection record. Worried first-time riders can therefore relax: riding the Hollowell Gorge zip line is safe.
The argument is most vulnerable to criticism on the grounds that it
Show the answer & full explanation
The correct answer is E
The JBDM line
Just because it's the safest of the fourteen doesn't mean it's safe.
The maybes
- MaybeMaybe all fourteen zip lines are dangerous and this one is merely the least dangerous.
- MaybeMaybe 'safest' still means an injury rate no rider would relax about.
Why E is right
'Safest of the group' is a comparative claim; 'safe' is an absolute one. The tallest kid in kindergarten is still short. If every zip line in the province is risky, topping that list guarantees nothing — the leap from relative to absolute is exactly the flaw.
Why the others are wrong
- AThe argument cites the inspection record, not rider testimony.
- BPast-versus-future isn't the leap here — even granting stable conditions, 'safest' still wouldn't mean 'safe.'
- COther provinces are irrelevant to whether THIS zip line is safe.
- DIt runs the other way: the argument concludes about one zip line, not all fourteen.
Sammy's note
The tallest kindergartner is still short. Watch every jump from relative to absolute.
What's a JBDM line?
Just Because Doesn't Mean (JBDM) is the Burton Method's foundational framework for attacking LSAT arguments: identify the premise, identify the conclusion, then say "just because [premise] doesn't mean [conclusion]" and generate "maybes" — alternative explanations that expose the gap between them. That gap is what weaken, flaw, strengthen, and assumption questions all test, so every explanation on this page starts with the JBDM line. It's a micro-lesson in the system, not just an answer key.
One question a day builds the habit
Answer today's question and start a streak — then see how Sammy teaches the whole system, JBDM included, in a free lesson.