LSAT-Section-1-Logical-Reasoning – Section One : Logical Reasoning

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Showing 328–330 of 430 questions

Question 328

Theoretically, analog systems are superior to digital systems. A signal in a pure analog system can be infinitely detailed, while digital systems cannot produce signals that are more precise than their digital units. With this theoretical advantage there is a practical disadvantage, however. Since there is no limit on the potential detail of the signal, the duplication of an analog representation allows tiny variations from the original, which are errors. These errors tend to accumulate as signals are duplicated, until this "noise" obliterates the information embodied in the original signal.

The statements above, if true, most strongly support which one of the following?

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Many ideas that work well in theory do not work well in practice.
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Analog representation of information is impractical because we do not need infinitely detailed information.
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Digital systems are the best information systems because error cannot occur in the emission of digital signals,
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Analog systems are inferior to digital systems for most practical purposes.
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Digital systems are preferable to analog systems when the signal must be reproduced many times.

Question 329

Psychologist: Doctors should never prescribe sedatives for people with insomnia. Most cases of insomnia that psychologists treat are known to be caused by psychological stress. This suggests that insomniacs do not need drugs that alter their biochemistry, but rather need psychotherapy to help them alleviate the stress causing their insomnia.

Each of the following describes a flaw in the psychologist's reasoning EXCEPT:

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It presumes, without providing warrant, that insomnia contributes to an inability to cope with stress.
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It fails to consider the possibility that sedatives are the only treatment known to be effective for cases of insomnia not caused by stress.
describes this flaw perfectly. Now for the rest of the argument: Because these cases treated by psychologists are mostly caused by stress, insomniacs don’t need drugs, but rather psychotherapy to alleviate stress. This sounds a bit self-serving and suspect, but if nothing specific hits you, then it’s time to check out the remaining choices.
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It neglects the possibility that for some people psychotherapy is a completely ineffective treatment for stress.
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It overlooks the possibility that sedatives could help insomniacs cope with stress.
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It presumes, without providing justification, that the cases of insomnia psychologists treat are representative of all cases of insomnia.

speaks directly to this issue and can therefore be eliminated. Furthermore, the fact that most cases of insomnia are caused by stress doesn’t mean that all are, and so perhaps for the non-stress related cases sedatives can be helpful. So again the “never prescribe sedatives” recommendation overreaches, and

Reference / correct answer:

It presumes, without providing warrant, that insomnia contributes to an inability to cope with stress.

One has to wonder if the psychologist went out of his way to construct such a lousy argument. After all, it’s not easy to cram four distinct flaws into a three-sentence pronouncement, but the psychologists somehow manages to do just that. Sedatives should never be prescribed for insomnia because most cases of insomnia that psychologists treat are caused by stress. Well, there’s a first possible flaw, the familiar non-representative sample: The psychologist can’t form a general conclusion about how insomnia shouldn’t be treated based only on evidence concerning people treated by psychologists; what about those who aren’t?

E. speaks directly to this issue and can therefore be eliminated. Furthermore, the fact that most cases of insomnia are caused by stress doesn’t mean that all are, and so perhaps for the non-stress related cases sedatives can be helpful. So again the “never prescribe sedatives” recommendation overreaches, and

B. describes this flaw perfectly. Now for the rest of the argument: Because these cases treated by psychologists are mostly caused by stress, insomniacs don’t need drugs, but rather psychotherapy to alleviate stress. This sounds a bit self-serving and suspect, but if nothing specific hits you, then it’s time to check out the remaining choices.

Question 330

Numerous paintings and engravings representing warfare can be found in remains of all civilizations going back to and including the Neolithic period, when agriculture was first developed. However, no paintings or engravings of warfare are found dating from before the Neolithic period. Therefore, warfare must have first developed as a result of the transition to an agricultural society.

Which one of the following is an assumption required by the argument?

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Paintings and engravings were the dominant forms of artistic expression during the Neolithic period.
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Warfare in the Neolithic period was always motivated by territorial disputes over agricultural land.
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There was no warfare prior to the period in which paintings and engravings of warfare were first created.
must be assumed in order for this argument to stand.
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Warfare is the inevitable result of the development of a civilization.
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Paintings and engravings of agricultural life began to be made at the same time as paintings and engravings of warfare.

Reference / correct answer:

There was no warfare prior to the period in which paintings and engravings of warfare were first created.
must be assumed in order for this argument to stand.

A standard Assumption stem, so the standard methods apply: Look for the gap between the evidence and conclusion and/or elements that need to be connected in order for the argument to work. Here we have a causal argument, and a fairly tenuous one at that – did you notice the scope shift? War is represented in the paintings and engravings of all civilizations back to and including the Neolithic period, the first period with agriculture, but not before that. Therefore, war resulted from the ransition to agriculture. So what’s the shift? Look closely at how warfare is treated in the argument: In the evidence, we’re old of representations of warfare, which the author uses to form a conclusion about when warfare itself actually arose. Well, in order for this to work, the author must assume that warfare did not appear on the scene before paintings and engravings it. If warfare actually appeared before representations of it, that would sever the connection the author seeks to establish between the advent of agriculture and the advent of war. So

C. must be assumed in order for this argument to stand.

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