LSAT 114 – Section 4 – Question 05

LSAT 114 - Section 4 - Question 05

October 2002

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Question
QuickView		 Type Tags Answer
Choices		 Curve Question
Difficulty		 Psg/Game/S
Difficulty		 Explanation
PT114 S4 Q05
+LR
Except +Exc
Strengthen +Streng
Causal Reasoning +CausR
A
3%
153
B
93%
163
C
1%
149
D
1%
153
E
4%
149
132
140
147
 +Easier 144.851 +SubsectionEasier

Toxicologist: A survey of oil-refinery workers who work with MBTE, an ingredient currently used in some smog-reducing gasolines, found an alarming incidence of complaints about headaches, fatigue, and shortness of breath. Since gasoline containing MBTE will soon be widely used, we can expect an increased incidence of headaches, fatigue, and shortness of breath.

Summarize Argument
The toxicologist concludes that headaches, fatigue, and shortness of breath will soon rise. This is because gas with MBTE will soon be widely used, and people who work with MBTE report increased rates of the aforementioned symptoms.

Notable Assumptions
The toxicologist assumes that the oil refinery workers experienced headaches, fatigue, and shortness of breath because of the MBTE, and not because of some other substance they worked with. He thus believes that oil refinery workers who don’t work with MBTE wouldn’t experience the same symptoms, at least not for the same reason. The toxicologist also assumes that there will be no difference between the MBTE gasoline dealt with in oil refineries and the MBTE gasoline ordinary people will use.

A
Most oil-refinery workers who do not work with MBTE do not have serious health problems involving headaches, fatigue, and shortness of breath.
This strengthens the causal relationship between MBTE and the symptoms by ruling out an alternate cause. If all oil refinery workers experienced headaches, fatigue, and shortness of breath, then MBTW couldn’t be identified as a cause.
B
Headaches, fatigue, and shortness of breath are among the symptoms of several medical conditions that are potentially serious threats to public health.
We don’t care about medical conditions that don’t stem from MBTE. This just tells us that people suffering from various conditions experience the same symptoms brought on by MBTE exposure.
C
Since the time when gasoline containing MBTE was first introduced in a few metropolitan areas, those areas reported an increase in the number of complaints about headaches, fatigue, and shortness of breath.
MBTE has already led to an increase in headaches, fatigue, and shortness of breath. This suggests that MBTE isn’t just dangerous in a refinery setting.
D
Regions in which only gasoline containing MBTE is used have a much greater incidence of headaches, fatigue, and shortness of breath than do similar regions in which only MBTE-free gasoline is used.
Compared with MBTE-free gasoline, MBTE gasoline is correlated with headaches, fatigue, and shortness of breath. This strengthens the author’s link between MBTE and the symptoms.
E
The oil-refinery workers surveyed were carefully selected to be representative of the broader population in their medical histories prior to exposure to MBTE, as well as in other relevant respects.
The survey wasn’t skewed. This strengthens the author’s use of the survey as evidence.

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LSAT PrepTest 114 Explanations

Section 1 - Logical Reasoning

Section 2 - Logical Reasoning

Section 3 - Reading Comprehension

Section 4 - Logical Reasoning

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