LSAT 143 – Section 4 – Question 12

LSAT 143 - Section 4 - Question 12

June 2015

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Question
QuickView		 Type Tags Answer
Choices		 Curve Question
Difficulty		 Psg/Game/S
Difficulty		 Explanation
PT143 S4 Q12
+LR
+Exp
Resolve reconcile or explain +RRE
Causal Reasoning +CausR
A
1%
153
B
0%
153
C
98%
164
D
0%
150
E
1%
150
124
132
140
 +Easiest 146.108 +SubsectionMedium

After the rush-hour speed limit on the British M25 motorway was lowered from 70 miles per hour (115 kilometers per hour) to 50 miles per hour (80 kilometers per hour), rush-hour travel times decreased by approximately 15 percent.

"Surprising" Phenomenon
Why did rush-hour travel times decrease after the rush-hour speed limit on the British M25 motorway was lowered?

Objective
The correct answer will be a hypothesis that explains a key difference between traveling on the British M25 motorway during rush-hour at a lower speed and traveling at a higher speed. That difference must result in shorter travel time when traveling at a lower speed.

A
After the decrease in the rush-hour speed limit, the average speed on the M25 was significantly lower during rush hours than at other times of the day.
We aren’t concerned with whether average speed is lower at rush-hour than at other times of day. We’re only concerned with rush-hour travel times and why those times decreased even though the speed limit also decreased.
B
Travel times during periods other than rush hours were essentially unchanged after the rush-hour speed limit was lowered.
Like (A), we are only concerned with rush-hour travel times and why those travel times increased after the rush-hour speed limit was lowered. Also, it shouldn’t be surprising that the change in rush-hour speed limit did not affect travel times during periods other than rush-hour.
C
Before the rush-hour speed limit was lowered, rush-hour accidents that caused lengthy delays were common, and most of these accidents were caused by high-speed driving.
This explains the key difference between driving on the M25 during rush-hour at a lower speed versus a higher speed. Driving faster led to more accidents, which caused longer travel times. When the speed limit was lowered, there were fewer accidents and shorter travel times.
D
Enforcement of speed limits on the M25 was quite rigorous both before and after the rush-hour speed limit was lowered.
The fact that the speed limit was rigorously enforced both before and after it was lowered only shows us that people probably drove at the correct speed, whether 50 mph or 70 mph. The question still remains: why did travel times decrease after the speed limit was lowered?
E
The number of people who drive on the M25 during rush hours did not increase after the rush-hour speed limit was lowered.
This could simply mean that the number of people on the M25 stayed the same before and after the rush-hour speed limit was lowered. Thus, it doesn’t help to explain why travel times decreased after the speed limit was lowered.

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LSAT PrepTest 143 Explanations

Section 1 - Logical Reasoning

Section 2 - Reading Comprehension

Section 3 - Logical Reasoning

Section 4 - Logical Reasoning

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