LSAT 105 – Section 4 – Question 15

LSAT 105 - Section 4 - Question 15

February 1999

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Question
QuickView		 Type Tags Answer
Choices		 Curve Question
Difficulty		 Psg/Game/S
Difficulty		 Explanation
PT105 S4 Q15
+LR
Most strongly supported +MSS
A
39%
168
B
0%
157
C
7%
162
D
4%
157
E
50%
165
154
175
180
 +Hardest 144.839 +SubsectionEasier

Ideally, scientific laws should display the virtues of precision and generality, as do the laws of physics. However, because of the nature of their subject matter, laws of social science often have to use terms that are imprecise; for example, one knows only vaguely what is meant by “republicanism” or “class.” As for generality, laws that apply only in certain social systems are typically the only ones possible for the social sciences.

Summary
The ideal scientific laws are precise and general. The laws of physics have these qualities. Social science laws tend to be imprecise because the subject matter may be less clearly defined. Social science laws are also more specific because they can only apply to certain social systems.

Strongly Supported Conclusions
Social science laws deviate more from the ideal of scientific laws than physics laws.
It is not always possible for social science laws to be precise and general.

A
All else being equal, a precise, general scientific law is to be preferred over one that is not general.
Strongly supported. This restates the rule in the first sentence. Ideally, scientific laws should be precise and general.
B
The social sciences would benefit if they redirected their focus to the subject matter of the physical sciences.
Unsupported. The author discusses how it is harder for social science laws to match the ideal, but does not claim that the social sciences should change for that reason.
C
Terms such as “class” should be more precisely formulated by social scientists.
Unsupported. The author makes no claims as to what social scientists “should” do. In fact, the author implies that the imprecision of certain terms is inherent: “laws of social science have to use terms that are imprecise”.
D
Social scientists should make an effort to construct more laws that apply to all societies.
Unsupported. The author makes no claims as to what social scientists “should” do. In fact, the author implies that the specificity of the rules is all that is possible in the social sciences.
E
The laws of social science are invariably not truly scientific.
Unsupported. The author does not claim that laws that deviate from the ideal are unscientific. The author only distinguishes how the fields vary.

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LSAT PrepTest 105 Explanations

Section 1 - Logical Reasoning

Section 2 - Logical Reasoning

Section 3 - Reading Comprehension

Section 4 - Logical Reasoning

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