LSAT 108 – Section 2 – Question 09

LSAT 108 - Section 2 - Question 09

February 2000

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Question
QuickView		 Type Tags Answer
Choices		 Curve Question
Difficulty		 Psg/Game/S
Difficulty		 Explanation
PT108 S2 Q09
+LR
Evaluate +Eval
A
2%
160
B
8%
163
C
5%
159
D
85%
167
E
0%
121
129
143
156
 +Medium 145.001 +SubsectionEasier

Very powerful volcanic eruptions send large amounts of ash high into the atmosphere, blocking sunlight and causing abnormally cold temperatures for a year or more after the eruption. In 44 B.C. there was a powerful eruption of Mount Etna in Sicily. In the following year, Chinese historians recorded summer frosts and dimmed sunlight in China, thousands of miles east of Sicily. If these phenomena were caused by volcanic ash in the atmosphere, then the ash sent into the atmosphere by Mount Etna’s eruption must have spread over great distances.

Summarize Argument
The author concludes that if volcanic ash caused dimmed sunlight and cool summers in China in 43 B.C., then the ash caused by Mount Etna must’ve spread over vast distances. This is because Mount Etna erupted in 44 B.C., and powerful volcanoes can cause such phenomena.

Notable Assumptions
The author assumes that if a volcano caused the phenomena in China, then that volcano was Mount Etna. This means the author assumes there were no other volcanos powerful enough to cause such phenomena in 44-43 B.C.

A
modern monitoring equipment can detect the precise path of volcanic ash in the atmosphere
This eruption was in 44 B.C. We don’t care if modern monitoring equipment can track volcanoes today.
B
the abnormal weather in China lasted for a full year or longer
We know powerful volcanoes can cause effects that last a year or longer. But that doesn’t mean those effects have to last a year or longer in order to associate them with a powerful volcanic eruption.
C
temperatures in Sicily were abnormally cold after Mount Etna erupted
Knowing the answer to this wouldn’t strengthen or weaken the author’s argument, which is that Mount Etna caused the phenomena in China. We don’t care about conditions in Sicily.
D
there were any volcanic eruptions near China around the time of Mount Etna’s eruption
If the answer is yes, then we have viable alternate explanation to the author’s: other volcanoes, rather than Mount Etna, caused cool summers and dimmed sunlight. If the answer is no, then it would seem Mount Etna was the volcano most likely to have caused such phenomena.
E
subsequent eruptions of Mount Etna were as powerful as the one in 44 B.C.
We’re not interested in subsequent eruptions. Knowing the answer wouldn’t tell us whether the 44 B.C. eruption likely caused the phenomena in China.

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LSAT PrepTest 108 Explanations

Section 1 - Reading Comprehension

Section 2 - Logical Reasoning

Section 3 - Logical Reasoning

Section 4 - Reading Comprehension

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