LSAT 128 – Section 2 – Question 13

LSAT 128 - Section 2 - Question 13

December 2008

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Question
QuickView		 Type Tags Answer
Choices		 Curve Question
Difficulty		 Psg/Game/S
Difficulty		 Explanation
PT128 S2 Q13
+LR
Main conclusion or main point +MC
Causal Reasoning +CausR
A
6%
160
B
7%
161
C
1%
149
D
1%
151
E
85%
167
142
150
159
 +Medium 146.836 +SubsectionMedium

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Scientist: There is little doubt that the ice ages were caused by the unusually rich growth of vegetation worldwide. Since vegetation converts carbon dioxide into oxygen, excessive vegetation would have depleted the carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. Carbon dioxide helps the atmosphere retain the sun’s heat. Thus, if this carbon dioxide is depleted, the earth cools significantly, thereby causing an ice age.

Summarize Argument: Causal Explanation
The scientist confidently claims that the ice ages were caused by widespread, unusually rich growth of vegetation. His reasoning is that vegetation converts oxygen into CO2. CO2 retains heat. Excess vegetation caused a reduction in CO2, causing the earth to cool due to a lack of heat retention. This cooling caused the ice ages.

Identify Conclusion
The conclusion is the scientist’s explanation for the ice ages: “There is little doubt that the ice ages were caused by the unusually rich growth of vegetation worldwide.”

A
Excessive growth of vegetation worldwide could have caused one or more ice ages by depleting the carbon dioxide in the atmosphere.
This is too weak to match the conclusion. The scientist claims that the excessive growth of vegetation almost definitely caused all of the ice ages.
B
If the carbon dioxide in the atmosphere is depleted, the earth cools significantly, thereby causing an ice age.
This is part of the causal explanation that shows how excessive vegetation would cause an ice age.
C
An excessive growth of vegetation causes the carbon dioxide in the atmosphere to be depleted.
This is also part of the chained explanation showing the process of how excessive vegetation would cause an ice age.
D
If unusually rich growth of vegetation caused the ice ages, it undoubtedly did so by depleting the carbon dioxide in the atmosphere.
This “if” statement does not match the conclusion. The author definitively states that the phenomenon did happen, and it happened by this process.
E
Unusually rich growth of vegetation worldwide was almost certainly the cause of the ice ages.
This accurately matches the strength and content of the conclusion. “Almost certainly” matches the author’s “there is little doubt” that this unusual vegetation growth caused the ice ages.

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LSAT PrepTest 128 Explanations

Section 1 - Reading Comprehension

Section 2 - Logical Reasoning

Section 3 - Logical Reasoning

Section 4 - Reading Comprehension

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