LSAT-Section-1-Logical-Reasoning Section One : Logical Reasoning - Practice Questions

Question 103

Sometimes when their trainer gives the hand signal for "Do something creative together," two dolphins circle a pool in tandem and then leap through the air simultaneously. On other occasions the same signal elicits synchronized backward swims or tail-waving. These behaviors are not simply learned responses to a given stimulus. Rather, dolphins are capable of higher cognitive functions that may include the use of language and forethought.

Which one of the following, if true, most strengthens the argument?

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Mammals have some resemblance to one another with respect to bodily function and brain structure.
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The dolphins often exhibit complex new responses to the hand signal.
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The dolphins are given food incentives as part of their training.
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Dolphins do not interact with humans the way they interact with one another.
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Some of the behaviors mentioned are exhibited by dolphins in their natural habitat.

Reference / correct answer:

The dolphins often exhibit complex new responses to the hand signal.

This is a Strengthen question so you have to shore up the author’s argument. The author concludes that dolphins are capable of higher cognitive functions that may include the use of language and forethought. The evidence for this is that in response to a hand signal for doing something together, sometimes the dolphins do a leap together, and sometimes they swim backwards, and sometimes they wave their tails. The author also asserts that these are not simply learned responses. So the author is assuming that they are coming up with these behaviors on their own. Choice [The dolphins often exhibit complex…] helps the author because if the dolphins exhibit new responses to the hand signal, that supports the assumption that the dolphins are coming up with this on their own, and are not simply repeating learned responses. Think about it: if the behaviors observed were sometimes completely new, they couldn’t possibly be learned responses. This strengthens the argument that dolphins are capable of higher cognitive functions and in fact use them when responding to the command “does something creative together.”

Question 104

Editorialist: Drivers with a large number of demerit points who additionally have been convicted of a serious driving-related offense should either be sentenced to jail or be forced to receive driver reeducation, since to do otherwise would be to allow a crime to go unpunished. Only if such drivers are likely to be made more responsible drivers should driver re-education be recommended for them. Unfortunately, it is always almost impossible to make drivers with a large number of demerit points more responsible drivers.

If the editorialist's statements are true, they provide the most support for which one of the following?

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Drivers with a large number of demerit points who have been convicted of a serious driving-related offense should be sent to jail.
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Driver re-education offers the best chance of making drivers with a large number of demerit points responsible drivers.
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Driver re-education is not a harsh enough punishment for anyone convicted of a serious driving-related offense who has also accumulated a large number of demerit points.
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Driver re-education should not be recommended for those who have committed no serious driving-related offenses.
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Drivers with a large number of demerit points but no conviction for a serious driving-related offense should receive driver re-education rather than jail.

Question 105

Plant manager: We could greatly reduce the amount of sulfur dioxide our copper-smelting plant releases into the atmosphere by using a new process. The new process requires replacing our open furnaces with closed ones and moving the copper from one furnace to the next in solid, not molten, form. However, not only is the new equipment expensive to buy and install, but the new process also costs more to run than the current process, because the copper must be reheated after it has cooled. So overall, adopting the new process will cost much but bring the company no profit.

Supervisor: I agree with your overall conclusion, but disagree about one point you make, since the latest closed furnaces are extremely fuel-efficient.

The point about which the supervisor expresses disagreement with the plant manager is

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whether the new copper-smelting process releases less sulfur dioxide gas into the atmosphere than the current process
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whether the new copper-smelting process is more expensive to run than the current process
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whether the new process should be adopted in the copper-smelting plant
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whether closed copper-smelting furnaces are more fuel-efficient than open furnaces
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whether cooling and reheating the copper will cost more than moving it in molten form

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