LSAT 144 – Section 2 – Question 01

LSAT 144 - Section 2 - Question 01

October 2015

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Question
QuickView		 Type Tags Answer
Choices		 Curve Question
Difficulty		 Psg/Game/S
Difficulty		 Explanation
PT144 S2 Q01
+LR
Flaw or descriptive weakening +Flaw
Conditional Reasoning +CondR
Causal Reasoning +CausR
A
2%
155
B
94%
164
C
2%
159
D
2%
152
E
1%
153
128
137
147
 +Easier 148.975 +SubsectionMedium

In the bodies of reptiles, some industrial by-products cause elevated hormonal activity. Hormones govern the development of certain body parts, and in reptiles abnormal development of these parts occurs only with elevated hormonal activity. Recently, several alligators with the telltale developmental abnormalities were discovered in a swamp. So, apparently, industrial by-products have entered the swamp’s ecosystem.

Summarize Argument: Phenomenon-Hypothesis
The author concludes that industrial by-products have entered the swamp’s ecosystem. This is based on the following:

Some industrial by-products cause elevated hormonal activity.

Recently, some reptiles in this swamp had abnormal development that occurs only with elevated hormonal activity.

Identify and Describe Flaw
The author assumes that there’s no other cause of the elevated hormonal activity besides the industrial by-products. This overlooks the possibility that the reptiles’ hormonal activity could be due to something else, in which case, we cannot conclude that industrial by-products have entered the swamp.

A
provides no explanation for developmental abnormalities that do not result from elevated hormonal activity
The argument concerns abnormalities that are caused only be elevated hormonal activity. Other abnormalities don’t have any impact on the reasoning.
B
fails to consider whether elevated hormonal activity can result from factors other than the presence of industrial by-products
If elevated hormonal activity can result from things besides industrial by-products, then the elevated hormonal activity that the reptiles in the swamp have does not prove that there are industrial by-products in the swamp. The elevated hormones might result from other things.
C
fails to address the possibility that industrial by-products were contained in food the alligators ate
The author doesn’t make any assumption about exactly how the by-products got into the reptiles in the swamp. Maybe the reptiles ate food in the swamp, and that food contained the by-products. This doesn’t undermine the author’s reasoning.
D
fails to say whether reptiles other than alligators were examined for the same developmental abnormalities that were discovered in the alligators
We know there are reptiles in the swamp with the abnormalities that are only caused by elevated hormonal activity. Whether there are other reptiles that have those abnormalities or not has no impact on the reasoning.
E
uses evidence drawn from a sample of alligators that is unlikely to be representative of alligators in general
The conclusion doesn’t concern alligators in general. So there’s nothing flawed about relying on evidence drawn from a sample of alligators in the swamp.

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LSAT PrepTest 144 Explanations

Section 1 - Reading Comprehension

Section 2 - Logical Reasoning

Section 3 - Logical Reasoning

Section 4 - Logical Reasoning

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