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

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Showing 229–231 of 430 questions

Question 229

For a ten-month period, the total monthly sales of new cars within the country of Calistan remained constant. During this period the monthly sales of new cars manufactured by Marvel Automobile Company doubled, and its share of the new car market within Calistan increased correspondingly. At the end of this period, emission standards were imposed on new cars sold within Calistan. During the three months following this imposition, Marvel Automobile Company's share of the Calistan market declined substantially even though its monthly sales within Calistan remained constant at the level reached in the last month of the ten-month period.

If the statements above are true, which one of the following CANNOT be true?

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The total monthly sales within Calistan of new cars by companies other than Marvel Automobile Company decreased over the three months following the imposition of the emission standards.
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Over the three months before the imposition of the emission standards, the combined market share of companies other than Marvel Automobile Company selling new cars in Calistan decreased.
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If the emission standards had not been imposed, Marvel Automobile Company would have lost an even larger share of the number of new cars sold in Calistan than, in fact, it did.
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A decrease in the total monthly sales of new cars within Calistan will occur if the emission standards remain in effect.
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Since the imposition of the emission standards, Marvel Automobile Company's average profit on each new car sold within Calistan has increased.

Reference / correct answer:

The total monthly sales within Calistan of new cars by companies other than Marvel Automobile Company decreased over the three months following the imposition of the emission standards.

Here’s the story: The monthly sales of cars in Calistan were constant for a ten-month period, during which monthly sales of Marvel cars doubled, with a corresponding market share increase. This is a little vague, so perhaps some actual numbers would clarify: The same number of new cars were sold each month in the country as a whole, so let’s say 1000 are sold each month. Marvel, however, has doubled sales from month 1 to month 10, so let’s say they sold 100 in month 1 (a10% market share) and 200 in month 10 (a 20% market share). After this period, emission standards went into effect. In the following three months, Marvel’s monthly sales remained constant (200), but its market share dropped a lot. Market share is a company’s percentage of sales relative to total sales, so a decrease in market share for Marvel means an increase in market share of all other companies combined. The only way for that to happen is if total sales for all companies other than Marvel increased during this threemonth period – again, this is the only way Marvel’s market share can plummet while its sales stay constant. Choice [The total monthly sales within Calistan of…], which states the opposite, is therefore the impossibility we seek.

Question 230

Because addictive drugs are physically harmful, their use by athletes is never justified. Purists, however, claim that taking massive doses of even such nonaddictive drugs as aspirin and vitamins before competing should also be prohibited because they are unnatural. This is ridiculous; almost everything in sports is unnatural, from high-tech running shoes to padded boxing gloves to highly-specialized bodybuilding machines. Yet, none of these is prohibited on the basis of its being unnatural. Furthermore, we should be attending to far more serious problems that plague modern sports and result in unnecessary deaths and injuries. Therefore, the use of nonaddictive drugs by athletes should not be prohibited.

Which one of the following statements, if true, would be the strongest challenge to the author's conclusion?

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Massive doses of aspirin and vitamins enhance athletic performance.
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Addictive drugs are just as unnatural as nonaddictive drugs like aspirin and vitamins.
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Unnecessary deaths and injuries occur in other walks of life besides modern sports.
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There would be more unnecessary deaths and injuries if it were not for running shoes, boxing gloves, and bodybuilding machines.
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Taking massive doses of aspirin or vitamins can be physically harmful.

Reference / correct answer:

Taking massive doses of aspirin or vitamins can be physically harmful.

We begin answering a Weaken question by figuring out the components of the argument. The conclusion is that the use of nonaddictive drugs such as aspirins and vitamins should not be prohibited. Why? Because nonaddictive drugs are just as unnatural as sporting equipment, and people have no objection to sporting equipment. Furthermore, there are more serious problems than nonaddictive drugs in modern sports that should be addressed – problems leading to injury and death. One way to weaken the argument is to connect the factor that the author’s not concerned about with the one he is: The correct answer will tend to connect nonaddictive drugs in some way to harm. Perhaps you prephrased a weakener along these lines, or if not, hopefully you saw the devastating effect that option [Taking massive doses of aspirin or…], if true, would have on the argument. If the use of nonaddictive drugs by athletes caused injury or death, then nonaddictive drug use would fall squarely into the category of the author’s “more serious problems,” and the argument to not prohibit such drugs would be weakened.

Question 231

Which one of the following can be inferred from the passage above?

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The fact that something is unnatural is not a sufficient reason for banning it.
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There is nothing unnatural about the use of nonaddictive drugs by athletes.
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The use of addictive drugs by athletes should be prohibited because addictive drugs are unnatural.
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Some of the unnecessary deaths and injuries in modern sports are caused by the use of addictive drugs by athletes.
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The use of addictive drugs by athletes is a less serious problem than are unnecessary injuries.

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