LSAT 117 – Section 4 – Question 22

LSAT 117 - Section 4 - Question 22

October 2004

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Question
QuickView		 Type Tags Answer
Choices		 Curve Question
Difficulty		 Psg/Game/S
Difficulty		 Explanation
PT117 S4 Q22
+LR
Flaw or descriptive weakening +Flaw
Causal Reasoning +CausR
Eliminating Options +ElimOpt
A
3%
156
B
4%
156
C
46%
165
D
21%
159
E
26%
160
154
164
174
 +Hardest 147.423 +SubsectionMedium

Trainer: Research shows that when dogs are neutered in early puppyhood, their leg bones usually do not develop properly. Improper bone development leads in turn to problems with arthritis as dogs grow older. Thus, if you want to protect your dog from arthritis you should not neuter your dog until it is full-grown.

Summarize Argument
The author concludes that if you want to protect your dog from arthritis, you should not neuter your dog until it is full-grown. This is based on the fact that when dogs are neutered in early puppyhood, their leg bones don’t develop properly, and improper bone development can lead to arthritis problems in dogs as they get older.

Identify and Describe Flaw
The author’s premises establish that neutering during early puppyhood can lead to arthritis problems. But the author never establishes that neutering during later times during puppyhood, before the dog is full-grown, can lead to arthritis problems. The author assumes a false dichotomy between early puppyhood and full-grown.

A
It fails to state exactly what percentage of dogs neutered in early puppyhood experience improper bone development.
The argument does not need to state the exact percentage. We accept as a premise that neutering in early puppyhood usually leads to improper leg bone development, and that this leads to arthritis problems.
B
It fails to explain the connection between improper bone development and arthritis.
The argument does not need to explain the connection. We accept as a premise that improper bone development leads to problems with arthritis. The exact causal mechanism does not need to be explained in order for us to accept this premise.
C
It fails to address the effects of neutering in middle or late puppyhood.
The author fails to show that neutering in middle or late puppyhood would lead to arthritis problems. Thus, the author hasn’t proven that we should wait until a dog is full-grown in order to neuter if we want to protect a dog from arthritis.
D
It fails to consider the possibility that the benefits of neutering a dog early might outweigh the risk of arthritis.
The author does not conclude that we should not neuter a dog early. The conclusion is conditioned on our desiring to protect a dog from arthritis. If we don’t find that to be important, then the author doesn’t express a view on whether we should neuter in early puppyhood.
E
It fails to consider the possibility that dogs with properly developed bones can develop arthritis.
The author never assumes that dogs with proper bone development never get arthritis. The author believes a dog will be less likely to get arthritis if it’s not neutered early, but that doesn’t mean the author believes it’s impossible for such a dog to get arthritis.

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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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