LSAT 135 – Section 1 – Question 01

LSAT 135 - Section 1 - Question 01

December 2011

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Question
QuickView		 Type Tags Answer
Choices		 Curve Question
Difficulty		 Psg/Game/S
Difficulty		 Explanation
PT135 S1 Q01
+LR
Strengthen +Streng
Causal Reasoning +CausR
A
1%
157
B
98%
164
C
0%
151
D
0%
156
E
0%
152
120
126
136
 +Easiest 146.098 +SubsectionMedium

In a recent study of more than 400 North American men and women whose previous heart attack put them at risk for a second heart attack, about half were told to switch to a “Mediterranean-type diet”—one rich in fish, vegetables, olive oil, and grains—while the other half were advised to eat a more traditional “Western” diet but to limit their fat intake. Those following the Mediterranean diet were significantly less likely than those in the other group to have a second heart attack. But the Mediterranean diet includes a fair amount of fat from fish and olive oil, so the research suggests that a diet may not have to be extremely low in fat in order to protect the heart.

Summarize Argument
The author concludes that a diet doesn’t have to be extremely low in fat to protect the heart. She supports this with a study of over 400 people at risk for a second heart attack. Half followed a Mediterranean diet, while the other half followed a low-fat “Western” diet. Those on the Mediterranean diet, which contains a fair amount of fat, were less likely to have a second heart attack.

Notable Assumptions
The author assumes that a diet that is not low in fat can protect the heart. She also assumes that the study was well-conducted and that the participants actually followed the diets. Additionally, she assumes that there are no relevant differences between the groups other than diet, and that the diet itself, not other factors, reduced the risk of a second heart attack.

A
Research has shown that eliminating almost all fat from one’s diet can be effective in decreasing the likelihood of a second heart attack.
Irrelevant. The argument focuses on a diet that does not eliminate fat from one’s diet. (A) doesn’t help to establish that such a diet can indeed protect the heart.
B
Studies suggest that the kinds of oils in the fat included in the Mediterranean diet may protect the heart against potentially fatal disruptions of heart rhythms and other causes of heart attacks.
This strengthens the argument by suggesting that at least one diet that isn’t low in fat— the Mediterranean diet— may be able to protect the heart. This suggests that a fatty diet can protect the heart and that the Mediterranean diet may have caused the reduced risk in the study.
C
The patients who consumed the Mediterranean diet enjoyed the food and continued to follow the diet after the experiment was concluded.
Irrelevant. It doesn’t matter whether the patients enjoyed the diet or continued to follow it. It only matters whether the diet actually made them less likely to have a second heart attack during the study.
D
Many people who have had heart attacks are advised by their cardiologists to begin an exercise regimen in addition to changing their diet.
Irrelevant. The author is only addressing the effects of the Mediterranean diet vs. the low-fat Western diet on the heart attack risk of the 400 people studied. It doesn’t matter whether exercise also lowers heart attack risk.
E
Some cardiologists believe that the protection afforded by the Mediterranean diet might be enhanced by drugs that lower blood-cholesterol levels.
Irrelevant. It doesn’t matter whether the protection afforded by the Mediterranean diet can be enhanced by certain drugs. Instead, we need to know whether the Mediterranean diet actually can protect the heart in the first place.

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LSAT PrepTest 135 Explanations

Section 1 - Logical Reasoning

Section 2 - Logical Reasoning

Section 3 - Reading Comprehension

Section 4 - Logical Reasoning

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