7Sage LSAT

Self-study
Group classes
Tutoring
Admissions consulting
Discussion & resources

Explanations

PT9.S3.Q7

SECTION 1 · rc

PASSAGE 1
Question 1 Question 2 Question 3 Question 4 Question 5 Question 6

PASSAGE 2
Question 7 Question 8 Question 9 Question 10 Question 11 Question 12 Question 13

PASSAGE 3
Question 14 Question 15 Question 16 Question 17 Question 18 Question 19 Question 20

PASSAGE 4
Question 21 Question 22 Question 23 Question 24 Question 25 Question 26 Question 27

SECTION 2 · lr

Question 1 Question 2 Question 3 Question 4 Question 5 Question 6 Question 7 Question 8 Question 9 Question 10 Question 11 Question 12 Question 13 Question 14 Question 15 Question 16 Question 17 Question 18 Question 19 Question 20 Question 21 Question 22 Question 23 Question 24 Question 25

SECTION 3 · lr

Question 1 Question 2 Question 3 Question 4 Question 5 Question 6 Question 7 Question 8 Question 9 Question 10 Question 11 Question 12 Question 13 Question 14 Question 15 Question 16 Question 17 Question 18 Question 19 Question 20 Question 21 Question 22 Question 23 Question 24 Question 25

SECTION 4 · lr

Question 1 Question 2 Question 3 Question 4 Question 5 Question 6 Question 7 Question 8 Question 9 Question 10 Question 11 Question 12 Question 13 Question 14 Question 15 Question 16 Question 17 Question 18 Question 19 Question 20 Question 21 Question 22 Question 23 Question 24 Question 25

PrepTest 9 - Section 3 - Question 7

Question

Explanation

Analytics

Show analysis

High-technology medicine is driving up the nation’s health care costs. ██████ ████████ ██ ████████ ███████ ██████████ ███ ████ ██ ██████████ █████████ ███ █ █████ █████ ██ ██████████ ██████████ ██ ███████ ███████ ███ █████ ████ ████████ ███████ ███ ███████ ███ ███ ██████ ██████████ ██████ ██ ███ ███ ██████████ ████ ██ ████████ ████████ ███ █████████ ███ ████████ ██████ ████████████ ███ ██ ████ ██████████ █████ ███ ███████ ████ ██████ ███ ██████ ██ ████████ ██████████ █████████ ██ ████████ ████████ █████ ████ ██ █████ ██████ ██ ███ █████ ██████ █████ ██ ████████ ████████

Argument Summary

The question stem directs us to a specific segment of the argument: the author's claim that the number of cataract surgeries has increased because of technological improvements. The two specific improvements the author cites as support are the better success of cataract surgery and the surgery's reduced cost. The argument identifies a phenomenon of increased cataract surgeries, and assumes that these improvements are the cause of that phenomenon.

Because the question stem is so focused, we can ignore the author's use of cataract surgery as an example of an alleged greater trend. We're just focused on the author's proposed explanation for why cataract surgery numbers have increased.

Objective: Weaken EXCEPT

For an Except question, our surest strategy is to identify and eliminate weakening answers. The remaining correct answer will either not affect the author's claim, or will even strengthen it.

The weakening answers that we want to eliminate will indicate alternative explanations for why cataract surgeries have increased. For example, maybe people are just living longer, so more people are developing cataracts. Any answer choice that explains why there are now more cataract surgeries for a reason other than increased effectiveness and decreased cost will be a weakener for us to eliminate.

Analysis by AlexandraNash

Show answer

Each of the following, if █████ █████ ███████ █ █████████ ██ ███ ██████████ ███████████ ██ ███ ████████ ██ ███ ██████ ██ ████████ ██████████ ███████

The overall population ██ ███ ██████ ███ █████████ ████ ████ ██ ███ ███ █████ ████

If the population has increased, it makes sense that cataract surgeries have increased! This is a solid alternative explanation that weakens the author's claim that the increase is due to greater efficacy and lower cost.

Any one individual’s ██████ ██ ██████████ █████████ ██ ███████ ████ ██ ███ ███ █████ ████

(B) weakens the author's claim that the increase is due to greater efficacy and lower cost by providing an alternative explanation: people are now more likely to get cataracts, so it's reasonable that there will be more surgeries to remove them.

The number of █████ ██████ ███ █████████ ██████ ███ ████ ███ ██████

We know that older people are more likely to get cataracts, so if there are more older people, it makes sense there would be more cataract surgeries. Like (A) and (B), (C) points to population factors to provide an alternative explanation.

Today, health insurance ██████ ████████ ███████ ███ ████ ██████ ████ ██ ███ ███ █████ ████

(D) is a bit tricky, but still gives us an alternative explanation for why there are more cataract surgeries. The author claims one reason is the lower cost of the surgery; (D) tells us it's not about the cost of the surgery itself, but the cost to the patient specifically. If there's now better insurance coverage, that suggests it's less about the actual cost, and more about who pays.

People who have ███ ████████████ ████████ ███████ ███ ████ ████ ████ █████████ ████████ ██████ ████ ████ ███ ██████ ███ ████████

(E) gives us a reason why people would avoid cataract surgery. This doesn't undermine the argument, because it fails to explain why people are now undergoing more cataract surgeries. That makes (E) our correct non-weakening answer.

Difficulty

Question

86% of people who answer get this correct

This is a slightly challenging question.

CURVE

Score of students with a 50% chance of getting this right

25% 126

139

75% 153

Analysis

Question Stem Tags

Except (LR)

Stems featuring the word EXCEPT, flipping the default status of right & wrong answers.

Learn more

Weaken

Stems that ask us to provide an additional piece of information that, if true, would weaken the argument in the stimulus.

Learn more

Stimulus Tags

Causal reasoning

Stimuli that feature the logic of causation (e.g. phenomenon-hypothesis, causal chain, experiments).

Learn more

Phenomenon-hypothesis (LR)

Stimuli that describe a state of affairs (phenomenon), then offer a conclusion as to what has caused that state of affairs (hypothesis). A sub-type of causal reasoning.

Learn more

Answer Popularity

Popularity Avg. score

159

153

160

159

86%

164

Question history

You don't have any history with this question.. yet!