LSAT 138 – Section 3 – Question 03

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Question
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Type Tags Answer
Choices
Curve Question
Difficulty
Psg/Game/S
Difficulty
Explanation
PT138 S3 Q03
+LR
Flaw or descriptive weakening +Flaw
Sampling +Smpl
Math +Math
A
2%
156
B
93%
165
C
1%
150
D
1%
150
E
4%
157
129
138
148
+Easier 147.528 +SubsectionMedium

Statistics reveal that more collisions between bicycles and motor vehicles occur on roads having specifically designated bicycle lanes than on roads having no such lanes. Hence, adding such lanes to existing roads is unlikely to enhance the safety of bicyclists.

Summarize Argument
The author argues that adding bike lanes to roads will not make cyclists safer because more bike accidents tend to happen on roads with bike lanes than on those without.

Identify and Describe Flaw
This is a correlation-causation fallacy. The argument overlooks the likelihood that roads with bike lanes have more cyclists, which could naturally explain the higher number of accidents without indicating that the bike lanes fail to make cyclists safer. In fact, there could be far fewer cyclists using the roads without lanes precisely because those roads are less safe.

A
overlooks the possibility that injuries sustained by bicyclists in accidents on roads with bicycle lanes are as serious, on average, as those sustained by bicyclists in accidents on roads without such lanes
This possibility is not a problem for the conclusion. Injuries being just as serious when bike lanes are present would provide yet another reason to believe that the lanes won’t improve safety.
B
fails to address the possibility that there are more bicyclists riding on roads with bicycle lanes than there are riding on roads without such lanes
This describes how the argument fails to consider that more accidents may be occurring on roads with bike lanes simply because there are more cyclists on those roads.
C
takes for granted that any road alteration that enhances the safety of bicyclists also enhances the safety of motorists
The argument never mentions motorist safety; the conclusion is about the safety of cyclists.
D
concludes that adding bicycle lanes to roads will fail to enhance the safety of bicyclists on the grounds that only some roads that currently have such lanes are safe
The argument cites a correlation between bike lanes and accidents as support; it doesn’t say that only some roads with lanes are safe.
E
takes statistical evidence that fails to support a conclusion concerning the safety of bicyclists as evidence that proves the opposite conclusion
The argument never opposes any other conclusion; it just assumes that a correlation between roads with lanes and accidents indicates that the lanes don’t enhance safety.

Cookie Cutters
64.1.13
57.3.18
55.3.09
39.2.05
25.4.24

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