LSAT 105 – Section 2 – Question 21

LSAT 105 - Section 2 - Question 21

February 1999

You need a full course to see this video. Enroll now and get started in less than a minute.

Ask a tutor

Target time: 0:54

This is question data from the 7Sage LSAT Scorer. You can score your LSATs, track your results, and analyze your performance with pretty charts and vital statistics - all with a Free Account ← sign up in less than 10 seconds

Question
QuickView		 Type Tags Answer
Choices		 Curve Question
Difficulty		 Psg/Game/S
Difficulty		 Explanation
PT105 S2 Q21
+LR
+Exp
Method of reasoning or descriptive +Method
Conditional Reasoning +CondR
A
66%
167
B
9%
161
C
13%
161
D
10%
161
E
2%
154
149
158
168
 +Harder 145.978 +SubsectionMedium

Some people have been promoting a new herbal mixture as a remedy for the common cold. The mixture contains, among other things, extracts of the plants purple coneflower and goldenseal. A cold sufferer, skeptical of the claim that the mixture is an effective cold remedy, argued, “Suppose that the mixture were an effective cold remedy. Since most people with colds wish to recover quickly, it follows that almost everybody with a cold would be using it. Therefore, since there are many people who have colds but do not use the mixture, it is obviously not effective.”

Summarize Argument: Counter-Position
In response to the claim that a mixture is an effective cold remedy, the cold sufferer concludes that the mixture is obviously not effective. As evidence, the cold sufferer points out that if the mixture was an effective remedy, then most people with colds would use it. However many people with colds do not use the mixture.

Describe Method of Reasoning
The cold sufferer counters a position held by others. He does this first by establishing a conditional relationship between the mixture and its use: if the mixture was an effective remedy, then most people with colds would use it. However, the cold sufferer denies the necessary condition of this relationship by stating many people with colds do not use the mixture, therefore the sufficient condition of the mixture being an effective remedy must also be denied.

A
finding a claim to be false on the grounds that it would if true have consequences that are false
The claim the cold sufferer finds false is the claim that the mixture is an effective remedy. The grounds the cold sufferer uses is the conditional relationship if the mixture is effective, then most people with colds would use it. However, this necessary condition is false.
B
accepting a claim on the basis of public opinion of the claim
The cold sufferer does not state whether the public’s opinion is that the mixture is an ineffective remedy. We cannot assume that just because many people with colds do not use the mixture that those people believe the mixture is ineffective.
C
showing that conditions necessary to establish the truth of a claim are met
The cold sufferer points out that the necessary condition for determining whether the mixture is an effective remedy is false: it is not the case that most people with colds use the mixture.
D
basing a generalization on a representative group of instances
The cold sufferer does not mention representative instances. Rather, the cold sufferer’s argument stays in general, theoretical territory.
E
showing that a measure claimed to be effective in achieving a certain effect would actually make achieving the effect more difficult
The cold sufferer does not claim that the mixture would make it more difficult for people with colds to recover. Rather, the cold sufferer is only arguing that the mixture is ineffective.

Take PrepTest

Review Results

LSAT PrepTest 105 Explanations

Section 1 - Logical Reasoning

Section 2 - Logical Reasoning

Section 3 - Reading Comprehension

Section 4 - Logical Reasoning

Get full LSAT course

Leave a Reply