LSAT 110 – Section 2 – Question 18

LSAT 110 - Section 2 - Question 18

June 2001

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Question
QuickView		 Type Tags Answer
Choices		 Curve Question
Difficulty		 Psg/Game/S
Difficulty		 Explanation
PT110 S2 Q18
+LR
Main conclusion or main point +MC
A
5%
162
B
76%
168
C
7%
161
D
11%
162
E
1%
155
143
154
165
 +Harder 145.606 +SubsectionMedium

Kevin’s explanation

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Editorialist: The positions advanced by radical environmentalists often contain hypotheses that are false and proposals that are economically infeasible. But there is a positive role to be played even by these extremists, for the social and political inertia that attends environmental issues is so stubborn that even small areas of progress can be made only if the populace fears environmental disaster, however untenable the reasons for those fears may be.

Summarize Argument
The editorialist tells us that radical environmentalist extremists can play a positive role, even though they often make false claims and suggest impractical solutions. So what’s positive about that? As the editorialist says, people are only willing to address environmental issues if they fear disaster, even if their fears are based on misinformation. This implies that the radical environmentalists can help motivate people towards change by creating fear, thus playing a positive role.

Identify Conclusion
The editorialist’s conclusion is the concession that “there is a positive role to be played” by radical environmentalists.

A
The little progress that has been made in improving the environment is mainly due to the fear created by radical environmentalists.
The argument doesn’t discuss all the factors that lead to environmental progress, and definitely doesn’t say that fear created by radical environmentalists is the most important factor.
B
Radical environmentalists, by promoting their views, stimulate progress on environmental issues.
This is a good paraphrase of the conclusion. The editorialist’s argument is designed to suggest that the extremists, by spreading fear, can motivate environmentally-friendly change.
C
Social and political inertia is most effectively overcome by an extremely fearful populace, regardless of whether its fears are well-founded.
This is much broader than anything the editorialist claims. The argument is specifically talking about inertia on environmental issues, and not inertia in general. Also, the argument’s actual claim about inertia is a premise, not the main conclusion.
D
Radical environmentalists often put forth untenable positions in order to produce the fear that is required to bring about moderate reforms.
The editorialist doesn’t tell us anything about the motivations or intentions of the radical environmentalists, so we simply don’t know if this is true.
E
Radical environmentalists advocate positions without regard for factual support or economic feasibility.
The editorialist never claims that radical environmentalists totally ignore facts and practicality, even if they sometimes make false claims or make unfeasible proposals. This goes beyond what the argument actually says.

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LSAT PrepTest 110 Explanations

Section 1 - Reading Comprehension

Section 2 - Logical Reasoning

Section 3 - Logical Reasoning

Section 4 - Reading Comprehension

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