LSAT 131 – Section 1 – Question 08

LSAT 131 - Section 1 - Question 08

December 2009

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Question
QuickView		 Type Tags Answer
Choices		 Curve Question
Difficulty		 Psg/Game/S
Difficulty		 Explanation
PT131 S1 Q08
+LR
+Exp
Weaken +Weak
Causal Reasoning +CausR
Sampling +Smpl
A
7%
159
B
2%
156
C
70%
166
D
17%
162
E
3%
159
143
154
166
 +Harder 147.383 +SubsectionMedium

We can now dismiss the widely held suspicion that sugar consumption often exacerbates hyperactivity in children with attention deficit disorder. A scientific study of the effects of three common sugars—sucrose, fructose, and glucose—on children who have attention deficit disorder, with experimental groups each receiving a type of sugar in their diets and a control group receiving a sugar substitute instead of sugar, showed no statistically significant difference between the groups in thinking or behavior.

Summarize Argument
The author concludes that sugar consumption doesn’t exacerbate hyperactivity in children with attention deficit disorder. She bases this on a study that showed no difference between children with attention deficit who ate sugar versus those who ate a sugar substitute.

Notable Assumptions
The author believes that the study shows sugar doesn’t affect hyperactivity. She must then assume that sugar substitutes don’t also exacerbate hyperactivity, or else the study would pointless. The author must also assume that sugar consumption can be divorced from the settings in which sugar is consumed. Supposing the children in the study were at Disneyland, we would expect high levels of activity across the board.

A
Only one of the three types of sugar used in the study was ever widely suspected of exacerbating hyperactivity.
We don’t know if children who ate that type of sugar were especially hyperactive.
B
The consumption of sugar actually has a calming effect on some children.
We don’t care if it’s a calming or neutral effect. We’re trying to weaken the claim that it doesn’t have a hyperactive effect.
C
The consumption of some sugar substitutes exacerbates the symptoms of hyperactivity.
It’s very possible there was no important difference between sugar and sugar substitutes in the study. If so, that totally destroys the author’s conclusion.
D
The study included some observations of each group in contexts that generally tend to make children excited and active.
“Some” qualifies what would’ve otherwise been a strong weakener. If only a small portion of the study was done in settings that make children excited and active, then the author’s takeaway from the study still stands.
E
Some children believe that they can tell the difference between the taste of sugar and that of sugar substitutes.
We don’t care if children believed they were using placebos. We care about the effect sugar had on the group that got sugar.

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LSAT PrepTest 131 Explanations

Section 1 - Logical Reasoning

Section 2 - Logical Reasoning

Section 3 - Logical Reasoning

Section 4 - Reading Comprehension

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