LSAT 107 – Section 4 – Question 01

LSAT 107 - Section 4 - Question 01

October 1999

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Question
QuickView		 Type Tags Answer
Choices		 Curve Question
Difficulty		 Psg/Game/S
Difficulty		 Explanation
PT107 S4 Q01
+LR
Strengthen +Streng
A
0%
168
B
2%
157
C
0%
159
D
84%
164
E
14%
164
120
120
120
 +Easiest 141.321 +SubsectionEasier

Combustion of gasoline in automobile engines produces benzene, a known carcinogen. Environmentalists propose replacing gasoline with methanol, which does not produce significant quantities of benzene when burned. However, combustion of methanol produces formaldehyde, also a known carcinogen. Therefore the environmentalists’ proposal has little merit.

Summarize Argument
The environmentalists conclude gasoline should be replaced with methanol. Why? Because unlike gasoline, methanol doesn’t produce a significant amount of benzene when it’s burned.

Notable Assumptions
The environmentalists assume the advantages of switching from gasoline to methanol outweigh the disadvantages. In particular, they assume the formaldehyde produced by methanol is no more harmful than the benzene produced by gasoline.

A
The engines of some automobiles now on the road burn diesel fuel rather than gasoline.
This is irrelevant. The environmentalists don’t imply a switch is only worthwhile if it applies to all vehicles on the road.
B
Several large research efforts are under way to formulate cleaner-burning types of gasoline.
This is irrelevant. It doesn’t give any likelihood those efforts will be successful, nor does it say cleaner-burning gasoline would produce more or less benzene.
C
In some regions, the local economy is largely dependent on industries devoted to the production and distribution of automobile fuel.
This fails to distinguish between gasoline and methanol, both of which are discussed as automobile fuel. It doesn’t say a switch from gasoline to methanol would benefit these local economies.
D
Formaldehyde is a less potent carcinogen than benzene.
This supports the environmentalists’ proposal. It suggests burning methanol produces a less potent carcinogen than burning gasoline, which implies methanol may be safer than gasoline.
E
Since methanol is water soluble, methanol spills are more damaging to the environment than gasoline spills.
This weakens the environmentalists’ argument. It implies switching to methanol could backfire in the event of a spill, causing more damage to the environment than would gasoline.

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LSAT PrepTest 107 Explanations

Section 1 - Logical Reasoning

Section 2 - Reading Comprehension

Section 3 - Logical Reasoning

Section 4 - Logical Reasoning

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