LSAT 102 – Section 4 – Question 03

LSAT 102 - Section 4 - Question 03

June 1998

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Question
QuickView		 Type Tags Answer
Choices		 Curve Question
Difficulty		 Psg/Game/S
Difficulty		 Explanation
PT102 S4 Q03
+LR
Weaken +Weak
Math +Math
A
2%
163
B
0%
149
C
0%
148
D
1%
156
E
96%
166
120
125
138
 +Easiest 146.127 +SubsectionMedium

The manager of a nuclear power plant defended the claim that the plant was safe by revealing its rate of injury for current workers: only 3.2 injuries per 200,000 hours of work, a rate less than half the national average for all industrial plants. The manager claimed that, therefore, by the standard of how many injuries occur, the plant was safer than most other plants where the employees could work.

Summarize Argument
The manager concludes that the nuclear plant is safer than most other plants where the plant’s employees could work. As evidence, he cites the fact that the nuclear plant’s rate of injuries is less than half the national average for industrial plants.

Notable Assumptions
The manager assumes that a claim about safety can be derived solely from a statistic about injury rate. This means that he doesn’t believe the magnitude of each individual injury should be factored into any discussion of safety. The manager also assumes that injuries on the job are identified immediately, rather than later in life once employment has finished. It could be that the type of work required at nuclear plants exposes workers to harmful chemicals with latent effects, or that the work is physically demanding.

A
Workers at nuclear power plants are required to receive extra training in safety precautions on their own time and at their own expense.
Whether or not we know if other industrial plants have similar protocols in place, it’s hard to see how this could weaken the manager’s argument. If anything, it makes it possible nuclear power plants really are less dangerous than other plants.
B
Workers at nuclear power plants are required to report to the manager any cases of accidental exposure to radiation.
Like (A), we don’t know if this is true of other industrial plants, too. And like (A), this gives another reason why the manager may well be right about nuclear power plant safety.
C
The exposure of the workers to radiation at nuclear power plants was within levels the government considers safe.
This suggests that nuclear power plant workers aren’t experiencing an additional health risk that other industrial plant workers wouldn’t be exposed to. If anything, this helps the manager’s position.
D
Workers at nuclear power plants have filed only a few lawsuits against the management concerning unsafe working conditions.
It seems nuclear power plant workers don’t find working conditions particularly unsafe. This seems to support the manager’s claim that nuclear plants are relatively safe.
E
Medical problems arising from work at a nuclear power plant are unusual in that they are not likely to appear until after an employee has left employment at the plant.
While nuclear power plants have fewer injuries to report each year, the workers suffer nuclear-plant-unique medical problems once they leave their job at the plant. These problems may outweigh the statistic the manager cites.

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LSAT PrepTest 102 Explanations

Section 1 - Reading Comprehension

Section 2 - Logical Reasoning

Section 3 - Logical Reasoning

Section 4 - Logical Reasoning

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