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

Question 148

Opponent of offshore oil drilling: The projected benefits of drilling new oil wells in certain areas in the outer continental shelf are not worth the risk of environmental disaster. The oil already being extracted from these areas currently provides only 4 percent of our country's daily oil requirement, and the new wells would only add one-half of 1 percent.

Proponent of offshore oil drilling: Don't be ridiculous! You might just as well argue that new farms should not be allowed, since no new farm could supply the total food needs of our country for more than a few minutes.

Which one of the following, if true, most weakens the drilling proponent's reply?

Select an option, then click Submit answer.

○
New farms do not involve a risk analogous to that run by new offshore oil drilling.
○
Many of the largest oil deposits are located under land that is Unsuitable for farming.
○
Unlike oil, common agricultural products fulfill nutritional needs rather than fuel requirements.
○
Legislation governing new oil drilling has been much more thoroughly articulated than has that governing new farms.
○
The country under discussion imports a higher proportion of the farm products it needs than it does of the oil it needs.

Question 149

A running track with a hard surface makes for greater running speed than a soft one, at least under dry conditions, because even though step length is shorter on ' a hard surface, the time the runner's foot remains in contact with the running ^surface is less with a hard surface.

Which one of the following, if true, is evidence that the explanation given above is only a partial one?

Select an option, then click Submit answer.

○
Dry running conditions can be guaranteed for indoor track races only.
○
In general, taller runners have greater average step length than shorter runners do.
○
Hard tracks enhance a runner's speed by making it easter for the runner to maintain a posture that minimizes wind resistance.
○
The tracks at which the world's fastest running times have been recorded are located well above sea level, where the air is relatively thin.
○
To remain in top condition, a soft track surface requires different maintenance procedures than does a hard one.

Reference / correct answer:

Hard tracks enhance a runner's speed by making it easter for the runner to maintain a posture that minimizes wind resistance.

This question stem requires some translation. We’re looking for something that, if true, would show that the author’s explanation is only a partial one. So we’re looking for a weakener of the explanation: something that points to another factor. Another way of thinking about this question is to recognize that the stem is telling you that the author is arguing that X (and only X) causes Y. You need to look for the answer choice that says Z also causes Y. The author’s conclusion is

that hard tracks are faster; the author says this is because the runner’s foot is in contact with a hard surface for a shorter period of time. The correct answer choice will therefore give you another reason why hard tracks are faster. And that’s what option [Hard tracks enhance a runner's speed by…] does. It tells you that hard tracks also make it possible for runners to minimize the effect of wind resistance, again making their times faster. If option [Hard tracks enhance a runner's speed by…].is true, then the author’s explanation of why hard tracks are fast is only a partial explanation,

Question 150

Goswami: I support the striking workers at Ergon Foods. They are underpaid. The majority of them make less than $20,000 per year.

Nordecki: If pay is the issue, I must disagree. The verage annual salary of the striking workers at Ergon Foods is over $29,000.

Goswami and Nordecki disagree over the truth of which one of the following statements?

Select an option, then click Submit answer.

○
The average annual salary at Ergon Foods is over$29,000.
○
Pay is the primary issue over which the workers are striking at Ergon Foods.
○
It is reasonable to support striking workers who are underpaid.
○
The striking workers at Ergon Foods are underpaid.
○
It was unreasonable for the workers at ErgonFoods to go on strike.

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