LSAT 133 – Section 1 – Question 07

LSAT 133 - Section 1 - Question 07

June 2011

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Question
QuickView		 Type Tags Answer
Choices		 Curve Question
Difficulty		 Psg/Game/S
Difficulty		 Explanation
PT133 S1 Q07
+LR
Except +Exc
Weaken +Weak
Causal Reasoning +CausR
A
5%
157
B
71%
165
C
7%
158
D
10%
158
E
6%
158
146
154
163
 +Harder 146.357 +SubsectionMedium

The cause of the epidemic that devastated Athens in 430 B.C. can finally be identified. Accounts of the epidemic mention the hiccups experienced by many victims, a symptom of no known disease except that caused by the recently discovered Ebola virus. Moreover, other symptoms of the disease caused by the Ebola virus are mentioned in the accounts of the Athenian epidemic.

Summarize Argument
The author concludes that the cause of the Athenian epidemic can be identified, and implies that the cause was the Ebola virus. This is because accounts of the epidemic note hallmarks of the Ebola virus, including a symptom—sneezing—unique to the Ebola virus.

Notable Assumptions
For the cause of the Athenian epidemic to be identified as the author claims, what’s currently known of the Ebola virus must not contradict accounts of the Athenian epidemic. This means that notable symptoms of the Ebola virus must appear in those accounts, while the accounts cannot include symptoms that are not known to derive from the Ebola virus. The author must believe that these accounts are accurate. He must also believe that the Athenian epidemic couldn’t have been caused by a presently unknown disease.

A
Victims of the Ebola virus experience many symptoms that do not appear in any of the accounts of the Athenian epidemic.
The disease that appears in accounts of the Athenian epic is different than what’s known of diseases caused by the Ebola virus. This suggests it a different, perhaps unknown virus caused the epidemic.
B
Not all of those who are victims of the Ebola virus are afflicted with hiccups.
The author never says every Ebola victim gets the hiccups—hiccups are just a common symptom. This exception doesn’t undermine the author’s argument.
C
The Ebola virus’s host animals did not live in Athens at the time of the Athenian epidemic.
The Ebola host wasn’t in Athens during the epidemic. Thus, it’s unlikely Ebola caused the epidemic.
D
The Ebola virus is much more contagious than the disease that caused the Athenian epidemic was reported to have been.
Much like (A), this says the disease that caused the Athenian epidemic differs substantially from what we know about Ebola. Thus, that disease likely wasn’t caused by the Ebola virus.
E
The epidemics known to have been caused by the Ebola virus are usually shorter-lived than was the Athenian epidemic.
Like (A) and (D), this says that the Athenian epidemic differs from what we know about Ebola. Thus, Ebola likely didn’t cause the Athenian epidemic.

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LSAT PrepTest 133 Explanations

Section 1 - Logical Reasoning

Section 2 - Logical Reasoning

Section 3 - Logical Reasoning

Section 4 - Reading Comprehension

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