LSAT 103 – Section 3 – Question 03

LSAT 103 - Section 3 - Question 03

September 1998

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Question
QuickView		 Type Tags Answer
Choices		 Curve Question
Difficulty		 Psg/Game/S
Difficulty		 Explanation
PT103 S3 Q03
+LR
Strengthen +Streng
Causal Reasoning +CausR
A
3%
158
B
3%
163
C
2%
160
D
91%
167
E
1%
155
132
142
152
 +Medium 148.537 +SubsectionMedium

Even though trading in ivory has been outlawed by international agreement, some piano makers still use ivory, often obtained illegally, to cover piano keys. Recently, experts have devised a synthetic ivory that, unlike earlier ivory substitutes, has found favor with concert pianists throughout the world. But because piano makers have never been major consumers of ivory, the development of the synthetic ivory will therefore probably do little to help curb the killing of elephants, from whose tusks most natural ivory is obtained.

Summarize Argument
The author concludes that the switch to synthetic piano keys won’t do much to stop the killing of elephants for their ivory. This is because piano makers have never been major consumers of ivory.

Notable Assumptions
The author assumes that only major consumers can help stop the killing of elephants for their ivory. This means that the synthetic ivory won’t be able to replace real ivory used in other industries.

A
Most people who play the piano but are not concert pianists can nonetheless easily distinguish between the new synthetic ivory and inferior ivory substitutes.
We don’t care what average piano players can do. We already know the new synthetic ivory is superior.
B
The new synthetic ivory can be manufactured to resemble in color and surface texture any of the various types of natural ivory that have commercial uses.
This suggests the synthetic ivory could make a difference in the global ivory trade. We’re trying to strengthen the opposite claim.
C
Other natural products such as bone or tortoise shell have not proven to be acceptable substitutes for natural ivory in piano keys.
We don’t care what else could be a substitute for ivory. We care about how the new synthetic ivory will factor into the global ivory trade.
D
The most common use for natural ivory is in ornamental carvings, which are prized not only for the quality of their workmanship but also for the authenticity of their materials.
The most common use for natural ivory is in an industry that cares about authentic ivory. Thus, synthetic ivory won’t make a difference in that industry, which suggests synthetic ivory won’t have a major impact on the global ivory trade.
E
It costs significantly less to produce the new synthetic ivory than it does to produce any of the ivory substitutes that scientists had developed previously.
We don’t care about the cost. We also don’t know how much the new synthetic ivory costs versus real ivory.

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LSAT PrepTest 103 Explanations

Section 1 - Logical Reasoning

Section 2 - Logical Reasoning

Section 3 - Logical Reasoning

Section 4 - Reading Comprehension

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