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

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Showing 280–282 of 430 questions

Question 280

Retailers that excel in neither convenience nor variety of merchandise tend not to be very successful. Yet many successful retailers excel in just one of the areas and meet competitors' standards for the other. Hence, a retailer's success need not depend on excellence in both areas.

The structure of the reasoning in the argument above is most parallel to that in which one of the following?

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Runners who have only average speed and endurance are unlikely to win long-distance races. Some long-distance champions, however, win by being above average in speed or endurance only; therefore, being above average in both speed and endurance is not necessary.
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Bicyclists who have only average speed are unlikely to win short races, but in a long-distance race such bicyclists can win if they have better-built bicycles than average and better endurance than average. Therefore, most bicycle races are not won by bicyclists with above-average speed.
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Excellence in a particular swimming stroke is not always necessary in order for a swimmer to win a race that requires each swimmer to use several different strokes in sequence, and many swimmers win these races without being the best at any of the strokes. Therefore, anyone who does excel at all the strokes is almost certain to win.
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Apples that are neither especially firm nor especially flavorful are unsuitable for baking; yet while flavor is essential for both baking and eating, many flavorful apples that are soft are suitable for eating. Hence, the apples that are best for eating need not be both firm and flavorful.
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Most plants that are neither ornamental nor edible are useless and are thus classified as weeds; yet many such plants are useful for purposes other than food or ornamentation, and are thus not classified as weeds. Hence, not all inedible and non-ornamental plants are weeds.

Reference / correct answer:

Runners who have only average speed and endurance are unlikely to win long-distance races. Some long-distance champions, however, win by being above average in speed or endurance only; therefore, being above average in both speed and endurance is not necessary.

Parallel Reasoning is up next, so let’s see if comparing conclusions can help us to knock off some of these lengthy choices. The conclusion, signaled helpfully by “Hence,” is that a thing (success) does not depend on something else (excellence in two areas). So we’ll first scan the choices’ conclusions for something that’s not necessary for something else. Option [Runners who have only average speed and…] meets that requirement, but option [Bicyclists who have only average speed are…]’s conclusion involves the issue of what’s true of most races, something not found in the original. Option [Excellence in a particular swimming stroke is…]’s conclusion discusses the likelihood of winning, which isn’t parallel either, while option [Most plants that are neither ornamental nor…] is conclusion takes the form “not all X and Y are Z,” which is way off.

Question 281

Detective: Because the embezzler must have had specialized knowledge and access to internal financial records, we can presume that the embezzler worked for XYZ Corporation as either an accountant or an actuary. But an accountant would probably not make the kind of mistakes in ledger entries that led to the discovery of the embezzlement. Thus it is likely that the embezzler is one of the actuaries.

Each of the following weakens the detective's argument EXCEPT:

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The actuaries' activities while working for XYZCorporation were more closely scrutinized by supervisors than were the activities of the accountants.
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There is evidence of breaches in computer security at the time of the embezzlement that could have given persons outside of XYZ Corporation access to internal financial records.
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XYZ Corporation employs eight accountants, whereas it has only two actuaries on its staff.
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An independent report released before the crime took place concluded that XYZCorporation was vulnerable to embezzlement.
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Certain security measures at XYZ Corporation made it more difficult for the actuaries to have access to internal financial records than for the accountants.

Reference / correct answer:

An independent report released before the crime took place concluded that XYZCorporation was vulnerable to embezzlement.

Not too swift this detective, if the stem is any clue. Four weakeners means there are lots of ways to attack this argument, so hopefully you kept your eye out for possible loopholes. This nasty business of embezzlement is an inside job, states the detective. Because the embezzler must have had special knowledge and access to certain records, the detective thinks the perpetrator must be either an XYZ accountant or actuary. Then she rules out the accountants on account of the fact that they’re not likely to make the kind of mistake found in the ledger, and the conclusion is predictable: The embezzler is probably an actuary. Well, there are a lot of possible holes here, and hopefully one or two “But what if…?” scenarios flitted through your mind. Any number of things can foil this argument, and maybe you came up with some on your own. You’re not likely to prephrase all four weakeners, but you should at least have a general idea of what you’re looking for before hitting the choices – something that makes it more likely that the embezzler is not really an XYZ actuary.

Question 282

Until 1985 all commercial airlines completely replenished the cabin air in planes in flight once every 30 minutes. Since then the rate has been once every hour. The less frequently cabin air is replenished in a plane in flight, the higher the level of carbon dioxide in that plane and the easier it is for airborne illnesses to be spread.

Which one of the following is most strongly supported by the information above?

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In 1985 there was a loosening of regulations concerning cabin air in commercial airline flights.
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People who fly today are more likely to contract airborne illnesses than were people who flew prior to 1985.
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Low levels of carbon dioxide in cabin air make it impossible for airborne illnesses to spread.
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In 1980 the rate at which the cabin air was replenished in commercial airliners was sufficient to protect passengers from the effects of carbon dioxide buildup.
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In 1980 the level of carbon dioxide in the cabin air on a two-hour commercial airline flight was lower than it is today on a similar flight.

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