LSAT 111 – Section 1 – Question 03

LSAT 111 - Section 1 - Question 03

October 2001

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Question
QuickView		 Type Tags Answer
Choices		 Curve Question
Difficulty		 Psg/Game/S
Difficulty		 Explanation
PT111 S1 Q03
+LR
Main conclusion or main point +MC
Causal Reasoning +CausR
A
96%
165
B
0%
159
C
0%
160
D
3%
155
E
0%
152
122
132
142
 +Easiest 147.471 +SubsectionMedium

Kevin’s explanation

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More women than men suffer from Alzheimer’s disease—a disease that is most commonly contracted by elderly persons. This discrepancy has often been attributed to women’s longer life span, but this theory may be wrong. A recent study has shown that prescribing estrogen to women after menopause, when estrogen production in the body decreases, may prevent them from developing the disease. Men’s supply of testosterone may help safeguard them against Alzheimer’s disease because much of it is converted by the body to estrogen, and testosterone levels stay relatively stable into old age.

Summarize Argument: Counter-Position
The author proposes an alternative explanation for women’s higher chance of developing Alzheimer’s disease: it might be because of lower estrogen levels later in life, rather than because of women’s longer average life span. This is supported by evidence that taking estrogen after menopause might protect women against Alzheimer’s. Also providing support is the claim that men continue to produce testosterone, which is converted into estrogen in the body, thus providing men with stable estrogen levels in old age. This shows how estrogen could actually explain the gender difference in Alzheimer’s.

Identify Conclusion
The conclusion is the author’s claim that women’s longer life span may not be the reason women are more likely to develop Alzheimer’s, and that it may be due to hormone levels instead.

A
A decrease in estrogen, rather than longer life span, may explain the higher occurrence of Alzheimer’s disease in women relative to men.
This is a good restatement of the author’s conclusion. The evidence given supports the idea that less estrogen in old age leads to a higher Alzheimer’s risk, which the author presents as an alternative explanation to the life span theory.
B
As one gets older, one’s chances of developing Alzheimer’s disease increase.
The relationship between Alzheimer’s and age is not the central focus of the argument. The author’s point is to support a hypothesis that might explain this correlation, not to prove that the correlation exists to begin with.
C
Women who go through menopause earlier in life than do most other women have an increased risk of contracting Alzheimer’s disease.
This is not stated in the argument. It might be implied by the relationship suggested between Alzheimer’s and estrogen. Even then, there could be other factors we don’t know about.
D
The conversion of testosterone into estrogen may help safeguard men from Alzheimer’s disease.
This is stated as support for the author’s claim that estrogen levels may explain the difference in women’s and men’s risks of Alzheimer’s, and nothing else supports this claim. It’s a premise, not a conclusion.
E
Testosterone is necessary for preventing Alzheimer’s disease in older men.
This is never stated, and is generally a much stronger claim than anything the author says.

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