LSAT 117 – Section 2 – Question 15

LSAT 117 - Section 2 - Question 15

October 2004

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Question
QuickView		 Type Tags Answer
Choices		 Curve Question
Difficulty		 Psg/Game/S
Difficulty		 Explanation
PT117 S2 Q15
+LR
Strengthen +Streng
Causal Reasoning +CausR
Link Assumption +LinkA
A
16%
157
B
5%
161
C
6%
158
D
72%
163
E
1%
153
135
149
163
 +Medium 146.765 +SubsectionMedium

According to current geological theory, the melting of ice at the end of the Ice Age significantly reduced the weight pressing on parts of the earth’s crust. As a result, lasting cracks in the earth’s crust appeared in some of those parts under the stress of pressure from below. At the end of the Ice Age Sweden was racked by severe earthquakes. Therefore, it is likely that the melting of the ice contributed to these earthquakes.

Summarize Argument: Phenomenon-Hypothesis
The author concludes that the melting of the ice contributed to the earthquakes in Sweden at the end of the last Ice Age. This is because melting ice reduced the weight pressing on the earth’s crust, which caused lasting cracks to form in the earth’s crust.

Notable Assumptions
The author assumes that cracks in the earth’s crust make earthquakes more likely to happen, or themselves constitute earthquakes. He also assumes that Sweden is situated in a location where the cracks caused by melting ice caused earthquakes.

A
The earth’s crust tends to crack whenever there is a sudden change in the pressures affecting it.
This more or less restates a premise. We need to strengthen the connection between the premises and the conclusion.
B
There are various areas in Northern Europe that show cracks in the earth’s crust.
The author never claims Sweden is the only place in Northern Europe where such earthquakes happened.
C
Evidence of severe earthquakes around the time of the end of the Ice Age can be found in parts of northern Canada.
While this strengthens the claim melting ice correlates with earthquakes, the author makes a causal claim. We want to strengthen the causation.
D
Severe earthquakes are generally caused by cracking of the earth’s crust near the earthquake site.
Cracks in the earth’s crust cause earthquakes. This strengthens the causal relationship that the author claims exists by clarifying how melting ice relates to earthquakes.
E
Asteroid impacts, which did occur at the end of the Ice Age, generally cause severe earthquakes.
This totally weakens the author’s argument. Asteroids, not melting ice, were responsible for the earthquakes.

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LSAT PrepTest 117 Explanations

Section 1 - Reading Comprehension

Section 2 - Logical Reasoning

Section 3 - Logical Reasoning

Section 4 - Logical Reasoning

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