LSAT 130 – Section 3 – Question 23

LSAT 130 - Section 3 - Question 23

September 2009

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Question
QuickView		 Type Tags Answer
Choices		 Curve Question
Difficulty		 Psg/Game/S
Difficulty		 Explanation
PT130 S3 Q23
+LR
+Exp
Strengthen +Streng
Sampling +Smpl
A
23%
161
B
3%
156
C
64%
164
D
3%
156
E
7%
162
138
154
171
 +Harder 145.135 +SubsectionEasier

Many scientific studies have suggested that taking melatonin tablets can induce sleep. But this does not mean that melatonin is helpful in treating insomnia. Most of the studies examined only people without insomnia, and in many of the studies, only a few of the subjects given melatonin appeared to be significantly affected by it.

Summarize Argument
The author concludes that studies don’t necessarily indicate that melatonin helps people with insomnia. This is because few of the studies dealt with people with insomnia, and very people in the studies overall were significantly affected by melatonin.

Notable Assumptions
The author assumes that people with insomnia are categorically different than other people when it comes to falling asleep. If this wasn’t true, then insomniacs wouldn’t have to be included in the study for the study to work. The author also assumes that melatonin has to significantly help one fall asleep in order for melatonin to be helpful in treating insomnia.

A
A weaker correlation between taking melatonin and the inducement of sleep was found in the studies that included people with insomnia than in the studies that did not.
We have no idea if the weaker correlation actually featured people with insomnia. If it didn’t feature. those people, then this doesn’t strengthen the author’s argument.
B
None of the studies that suggested that taking melatonin tablets can induce sleep examined a fully representative sample of the human population.
We don’t need that sample to be fully representative. The author seems to think that sample simply has to represent or focus on people with insomnia.
C
In the studies that included subjects with insomnia, only subjects without insomnia were significantly affected by doses of melatonin.
When people with insomnia were included in the studies, they didn’t derive any great benefit from melatonin. This shows that melatonin isn’t terribly helpful for people with insomnia.
D
Several people who were in control groups and only given placebos claimed that the tablets induced sleep.
Irrelevant. We have no idea if these people had insomnia.
E
If melatonin were helpful in treating insomnia, then every person with insomnia who took doses of melatonin would appear to be significantly affected by it.
We don’t know if anyone who has insomnia was actually given melatonin in these studies.

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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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