LSAT 149 – Section 3 – Question 05

LSAT 149 - Section 3 - Question 05

December 2017

You need a full course to see this video. Enroll now and get started in less than a minute.

Request new explanation

Target time: 1:13

This is question data from the 7Sage LSAT Scorer. You can score your LSATs, track your results, and analyze your performance with pretty charts and vital statistics - all with a Free Account ← sign up in less than 10 seconds

Question
QuickView		 Type Tags Answer
Choices		 Curve Question
Difficulty		 Psg/Game/S
Difficulty		 Explanation
PT149 S3 Q05
+LR
Strengthen +Streng
Causal Reasoning +CausR
Sampling +Smpl
A
5%
156
B
1%
153
C
6%
157
D
0%
154
E
88%
164
129
140
151
 +Easier 147.456 +SubsectionMedium

Eating turmeric, a spice commonly found in curries, probably helps prevent Alzheimer’s disease. More turmeric is consumed per capita in India than in the rest of the world, and the incidence of Alzheimer’s disease is much lower there than it is worldwide. Furthermore, Alzheimer’s disease is characterized by the buildup of amyloid protein plaques in the brain, and studies on animals found that curcumin—a compound found in turmeric—reduces the accumulation of amyloid proteins.

Summarize Argument: Phenomenon-Hypothesis
The author hypothesizes that turmeric helps prevent Alzheimer’s disease. Why? First, because of a correlation: people in India eat lots of turmeric, and very few get Alzheimer’s disease. Second, because of turmeric’s effect on the brain: the curcumin it contains reduces the buildup of amyloid proteins that characterize Alzheimer’s disease, at least in animals.

Notable Assumptions
The author assumes eating turmeric makes more curcumin available for breaking down amyloid proteins in the brain, thus reducing the risk of Alzheimer’s disease. This means assuming curcumin has the same effect on amyloid proteins in humans that it does in animals. She also assumes the correlation in India—more people eat turmeric and fewer get Alzheimer’s disease—is because turmeric consumption reduces a person’s chances of Alzheimer’s disease, and not for some other reason.

A
Rosemary and ginger, which contain compounds that affect amyloid protein accumulation much like curcumin does, are commonly found in the diets of people living in India.
This weakens the argument. It suggests rosemary and ginger, not turmeric, could be responsible for the low rates of Alzheimer’s disease in India.
B
Many scientists believe that the buildup of amyloid protein plaques in the brain is a symptom of Alzheimer’s disease rather than a cause.
This weakens the argument. It implies breaking down amyloid proteins will not reduce the risk of Alzheimer’s disease, casting doubt on the stated benefit of curcumin.
C
The proportion of people living in India who fall within the age group that is most prone to developing Alzheimer’s disease is smaller than the proportion of people worldwide who fall within that age group.
This weakens the argument. It suggests fewer people get Alzheimer’s in India because fewer belong to the at-risk age group, not because of their turmeric consumption.
D
None of the other compounds found in turmeric have been studied to see whether they affect the accumulation of amyloid proteins.
This has no effect on the argument. It’s equally possible these other compounds in turmeric could promote or inhibit the accumulation of amyloid proteins.
E
The parts of India that have the highest per capita rates of curry consumption have the lowest incidence of Alzheimer’s disease.
This strengthens the correlation between high turmeric intake and low rates of Alzheimer’s disease. It implies the correlation extends to regions within India, making it more pronounced.

Take PrepTest

Review Results

LSAT PrepTest 149 Explanations

Section 1 - Logical Reasoning

Section 2 - Reading Comprehension

Section 3 - Logical Reasoning

Section 4 - Logical Reasoning

Get full LSAT course

Leave a Reply