LSAT 130 – Section 3 – Question 05

LSAT 130 - Section 3 - Question 05

September 2009

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Question
QuickView		 Type Tags Answer
Choices		 Curve Question
Difficulty		 Psg/Game/S
Difficulty		 Explanation
PT130 S3 Q05
+LR
+Exp
Weaken +Weak
Value Judgment +ValJudg
A
1%
156
B
6%
157
C
2%
155
D
4%
157
E
88%
164
129
140
152
 +Easier 145.135 +SubsectionEasier

Motor oil serves to lubricate engines and thus retard engine wear. A study was conducted to assess the effectiveness of various brands of motor oil by using them in taxicabs over a 6,000-mile test period. All the oils did equally well in retarding wear on pistons and cylinders, the relevant parts of the engine. Hence, cheaper brands of oil are the best buys.

Summarize Argument
The author concludes cheaper oil brands are superior to more expensive oil brands. This is because, according to a study, all oils perform their basic function with equal effectiveness.

Notable Assumptions
The author assumes that one brand of oil is better than another if it performs the same job at a lower price. This means the author believes there are only two variables—price and ability to retard engine wear—that affect oil comparisons for most potential buyers. The author must therefore believe that motor oil doesn’t serve some other purpose.

A
Cheaper brands of motor oil are often used by knowledgeable automobile mechanics for their own cars.
Knowledgeable mechanics like cheap motor oil. This seems to support the author’s argument that cheaper oils are better buys.
B
Tests other than of the ability to reduce engine wear also can reliably gauge the quality of motor oil.
Without knowing how those other tests judge cheap oils, we can’t draw any conclusions.
C
The lubricating properties of all motor oils deteriorate over time, and the rate of deterioration is accelerated by heat.
We don’t care about things that are true of all oils. We need something to differentiate cheap oils from more expensive oils.
D
The engines of some individual cars that have had their oil changed every 3,000 miles, using only a certain brand of oil, have lasted an extraordinarily long time.
We don’t know which brand of oil was used.
E
Ability to retard engine wear is not the only property of motor oil important to the running of an engine.
By focusing only on retarding engine wear, the author overlooks an important factor in motor oil performance. We therefore can’t say cheaper oils are “better buys” without knowing how they perform other important functions.

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LSAT PrepTest 130 Explanations

Section 1 - Logical Reasoning

Section 2 - Reading Comprehension

Section 3 - Logical Reasoning

Section 4 - Logical Reasoning

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