LSAT 131 – Section 1 – Question 12

LSAT 131 - Section 1 - Question 12

December 2009

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Question
QuickView		 Type Tags Answer
Choices		 Curve Question
Difficulty		 Psg/Game/S
Difficulty		 Explanation
PT131 S1 Q12
+LR
+Exp
Flaw or descriptive weakening +Flaw
Math +Math
A
3%
159
B
3%
155
C
6%
158
D
86%
166
E
2%
158
139
148
156
 +Medium 147.383 +SubsectionMedium

The number of different synthetic chemical compounds that are known to be carcinogenic but are nonetheless used as pesticides, preservatives, or food additives is tiny compared to the number of nonsynthetic carcinogenic compounds widely found in plants and animals. It is therefore absurd to suppose that the rise in the cancer rate in recent decades is due to synthetic carcinogens.

Summarize Argument

The author concludes that it’s absurd to blame synthetic carcinogens for rising cancer rates. She supports this by saying that the number of synthetic carcinogens used in preservatives and pesticides is very small compared to the number of nonsynthetic carcinogens found in plants and animals.

Identify and Describe Flaw

The author concludes that synthetic carcinogens are not responsible for rising cancer rates simply because there are fewer synthetic carcinogens than nonsynthetic ones. She overlooks the possibility that people’s exposure to synthetic carcinogens may be much more frequent or prolonged than their exposure to nonsynthetic carcinogens.

A
the rise in the cancer rate in recent decades is due to increased exposure to nonsynthetic pollutants

The author doesn’t overlook this possibility. Instead, she overlooks the possibility that the rise in cancer rates in recent decades is due to increased exposure to synthetic carcinogens.

B
the rise in the cancer rate in recent decades is due to something other than increased exposure to carcinogens

The author doesn’t overlook this possibility. She simply concludes that the rise in cancer rates is not caused by synthetic carcinogens; this allows for the possibility that it is caused by something other than exposure to carcinogens.

C
some synthetic chemical compounds that are not known to be carcinogenic are in other respects toxic

The author is only addressing synthetic chemical compounds that are known to be carcinogenic. Whether other synthetic compounds are toxic in other respects is irrelevant.

D
people undergo significantly less exposure to carcinogens that are not synthetic than to those that are synthetic

The author concludes that synthetic carcinogens aren’t responsible for rising cancer rates simply because there are more nonsynthetic carcinogens. She overlooks the possibility that people are exposed to synthetic carcinogens much more, even though there are fewer of them.

E
people can vary greatly in their susceptibility to cancers caused by nonsynthetic carcinogens

This may be true, but it doesn’t impact the author’s argument. She’s discussing the cause of rising cancer rates, not the susceptibility of certain people to cancers caused by certain carcinogens.

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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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