LSAC LSAC Certifications LSAT-TEST Questions & Answers

• Question 401:

  Few animals brave the midday heat of the Sahara Desert. An exception is the silver ant, which chooses this time of day to leave its nest and scout for food, typically the corpses of heat-stricken animals. Even the silver ant, however, must be careful: at such times they can become victims of the heat themselves.

  Which one of the following, if true, LEAST helps to explain the silver ant's choice of scavenging times?

  A. The chief predators of the silver ant must take cover from the sun during midday.

  B. The cues that silver ants use to navigate become less reliable as the afternoon progresses.

  C. Other scavengers remove any remaining corpses as soon as the temperature begins to drop in the afternoon.

  D. The temperature inside the silver ants' nests often exceeds the surface temperature during the hottest times of the day.

  E. Silver ants cool themselves by climbing onto small pieces of dried vegetation to take advantage of random light breezes.

  Correct Answer: E

  Four of the five choices explain why the silver ant scouts for food in the blazing midday heat of the Sahara Desert, notwithstanding the little critters' vulnerability to heat. The absence of predators [The chief predators of the silver...] would certainly explain why that time of day would seem fortuitous. So would the greater ease of picking up navigational cues, [The cues that silver ants use to...]; better get the scouting done now rather than later. That better-now-than-later idea is picked up by option [Other scavengers remove any...] as well: The later the ant waits, [Other scavengers remove any...] suggests, the less food there is to forage. And [The temperature inside...] suggests that it's all just a matter of relativity. If it's hotter inside their nests than outside of them, who can blame the ants for getting out? In contrast to those four eminently reasonable explanations, correct choice [Silver ants cool themselves by] sidesteps the whole issue. "Random light breezes" could come along at any time of day, and so the insects' own particular form of air conditioning is of no help in explaining why the ants choose to forage during the blazing midday.

• Question 402:

  Consultant: Most workers do not have every item they produce judged for quality, but each piece a freelance writer authors is evaluated. That is why freelance writers produce such high-quality work.

  The consultant's statements, if true, most strongly support which one of the following?

  A. A piece authored by a freelance writer is generally evaluated more strictly than the majority of items most workers produce.

  B. By having every piece of their work evaluated, some workers are caused to produce high-quality work.

  C. No other workers produce higher quality work than do freelance writers.

  D. Only freelance writers have every item they produce evaluated for quality.

  E. Some workers produce high-quality work in spite of the fact that not every item they produce is judged for quality.

  Correct Answer: B

  Rather than predict anything, we can simply check each choice against the stimulus and look for that which must be true. Option [A piece authored by...] need not, since the strictness of evaluation is never mentioned and hence need not be the reason for freelancers' high-quality work. But option [By having every piece of...] echoes the author's overall point. The workers in this option is talking about are the freelance writers. They, at least, are always evaluated and "that is why" they produce (they "are caused to produce") high-quality work. The wise student gives at least a cursory glance at those that remain. Option [No other workers produce higher...] makes an irrelevant and unwarranted distinction between freelancers and others; for all we know, other types of workers may produce even better work than do freelance writers. And option [Only freelance writers have...] is a flagrant misreading of sentence 1's second clause. The statement "All freelance writers are evaluated" cannot be read to mean "Only freelance writers are evaluated," as option [Only freelance writers have...] would have it. Finally, the author takes no position on the quality of workers other than freelance writers; notwithstanding that most workers don't enjoy quality control, they still might produce plenty of high-quality work.

• Question 403:

  A recent national study of the trash discarded in several representative areas confirmed that plastics constitute a smaller proportion of all trash than paper products do, whether the trash is measured by weight or by volume. The damage that a given weight or volume of trash does to the environment is roughly the same whether the trash consists of plastics or paper products. Contrary to popular opinion, therefore, the current use of plastics actually does less harm to the environment nationwide than that of paper products.

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

  A. A given weight of paper product may increase in volume after manufacture and before being discarded as trash.

  B. According to popular opinion, volume is a more important consideration than weight in predicting the impact of a given quantity of trash on the environment.

  C. The sum of damage caused to the environment by paper trash and by plastic trash is greater than that caused by any other sort of trash that was studied.

  D. The production of any paper product is more harmful to the environment than is the production of an equal weight or volume of any plastic.

  E. The proportion of plastic trash to paper trash varies from one part of the country to another.

  Correct Answer: D

  As noted above, the conclusion is a broad one: Environmentally speaking, the use of paper causes more harm than does the use of plastic. But all of the author's evidence concerns the environmental impact of paper trash and plastic trash. What about paper vs. plastic production, which clearly falls under the scope of general use? The only way that the argument can work is if the production issue is taken off the table, and that's what option [The production of any paper product is] does, by indicting the production of paper as causing more damage than the production of plastic.

• Question 404:

  A recent national study of the trash discarded in several representative areas confirmed that plastics constitute a smaller proportion of all trash than paper products do, whether the trash is measured by weight or by volume. The damage that a given weight or volume of trash does to the environment is roughly the same whether the trash consists of plastics or paper products. Contrary to popular opinion, therefore, the current use of plastics actually does less harm to the environment nationwide than that of paper products.

  The main conclusion of the argument is that

  A. plastics constitute a smaller proportion of the nation's total trash than do paper products

  B. the ratio of weight to volume is the same for plastic trash as it is for paper trash

  C. popular opinion regards the use of paper products as less harmful to the environment than the use of products made from plastic

  D. contrary to popular opinion, a shift away from the use of paper products to the use of plastics would benefit the environment nationwide

  E. at this time more harm is being done to the environment nationwide by the use of paper than by the use of plastics

  Correct Answer: E

  Any prediction of the right answer has to follow from the blatant Conclusion Keyword "Therefore." The statement that follows, that plastics are currently less environmentally harmful than paper, is simply and properly rewritten by option [at this time more harm is being done to...]. Option [plastics constitute a smaller proportion of...] is cited in the stimulus's first sentence as a piece of evidence. Option [the ratio of weight to volume is...] raises an issue (weight vs. volume) that the stimulus's first two sentences discard as irrelevant. The author's aim is to use the truth to counter public opinion, not to persuade us of it [popular opinion regards the use of...]. And option [contrary to popular opinion, a shift away from...] concern with benefits and alternative behaviors couldn't be further removed from the scope of the argument.

• Question 405:

  Juan: Unlike the ancient Olympic games on which they are based, the modern Olympics include professional as well as amateur athletes. But since amateurs rarely have the financial or material resources available to professionals, it is unlikely that the amateurs will ever offer a serious challenge to professionals in those Olympic events in which amateurs compete against professionals. Hence, the presence of professional athletes violates the spirit of fairness essential to the games. Michiko: But the idea of the modern Olympics is to how case the world's finest athletes, regardless of their backgrounds or resources. Hence, professionals should be allowed to compete.

  Which one of the following, if true, most seriously undermines Juan's argument?

  A. In general, amateur athletes tend to outnumber professional athletes in the modern Olympics.

  B. In certain events in the modern Olympics the best few competitors are amateurs; in certain other events the best few competitors are professionals.

  C. The concept of "amateur" and "professional" athletics would have been unfamiliar to the ancient Greeks on whose games the modern Olympics are based.

  D. In the modern Olympics there has been no noticeable correlation between the financial or material resources expended on the training of individual athletes and the eventual performance of those athletes.

  E. Many amateur athletes who take part in international competitions receive no financial or material support from the governments of the countries that the amateurs represent.

  Correct Answer: D

  D. directly severs the link between training resources and Olympic performance in the modern era. As a result, Juan's pessimism that Olympic amateurs can never seriously challenge pros because of the latter's material advantages is highly unjustified. If option [In general, amateur athletes tend to...] is true, then the pros may still have an edge over the amateurs, but not for the reason that Juan proposes.

• Question 406:

  Juan: Unlike the ancient Olympic games on which they are based, the modern Olympics include professional as well as amateur athletes. But since amateurs rarely have the financial or material resources available to professionals, it is unlikely that the amateurs will ever offer a serious challenge to professionals in those Olympic events in which amateurs compete against professionals. Hence, the presence of professional athletes violates the spirit of fairness essential to the games. Michiko: But the idea of the modern Olympics is to how case the world's finest athletes, regardless of their backgrounds or resources. Hence, professionals should be allowed to compete.

  Which one of the following most accurately expresses the point at issue between Juan and Michiko?

  A. whether the participation of both amateur and professional athletes is in accord with the ideals of the modern Olympics

  B. whether both amateur and professional athletes competed in the ancient Olympic games upon which the modern Olympics are based

  C. whether the athletes who compete in the modern Olympics are the world's finest

  D. whether any amateur athletes have the financial or material resources that are available to professional athletes

  E. whether governments sponsor professional as well as amateur athletes in the modern Olympics

  Correct Answer: A

  Since both Juan and Michiko helpfully use the Conclusion Keyword "Hence," we can readily see that Juan's point is that pros should be barred from the Olympics while Michiko thinks otherwise. That each speaker mentions Olympic ideals, whether of fairness (Juan) or of intent (Michiko), serves to bolster [whether the participation of both amateur and...] as their point at issue. Michiko never mentions the ancient games at all, so option [whether both amateur and professional athletes...] cannot be a point at issue between her and Juan. Neither can option [whether the athletes who compete in the modern...]., since it's an assertion that Michiko believes and that Juan concedes (when he argues that the amateurs are no match for the pros). Finally, Michiko takes her stand "regardless of [the athletes'] backgrounds or resources," so neither option [whether any amateur athletes have...] nor [whether governments sponsor professional as...], each of which raises those very background and resource issues, will pass muster as the issue over which Michiko and Juan go toe to toe.

• Question 407:

  Sheila: It has been argued that using computer technology to add color to a movie originally filmed in black and white damages the integrity of the original film. But no one argues that we should not base a movie on a novel or a short story because doing so would erode the value of the book or story. The film adaptation of the written work is a new work that stands on its own. Judgments of it do not reflect on the original. Similarly, the colorized film is a new work distinct from the original and should be judged on its own merit. It does not damage the integrity of the original black-and-white film.

  Sheila's argument uses which one of the following techniques of argumentation?

  A. It appeals to an analogy between similar cases.

  B. It offers a counterexample to a general principle.

  C. It appeals to popular opinion on the matter at issue.

  D. It distinguishes facts from value judgments.

  E. It draws an inference from a general principle and a set of facts.

  Correct Answer: A

  "Similarly" hands you this one on a platter. Sheila's support for movie colorization rests on the analogy she perceives between movies and prose. Works in each medium, she argues, should be considered unique unto themselves, and not as assaults on the integrity of any source material. Sheila's example is a parallel one, not a piece of counter evidence [It offers a counterexample to...] Popular opinion as to colorization option [It appeals to popular opinion on...] goes unmentioned. Sheila offers nothing but value judgments, so she is not presenting a set of facts [It draws an inference from a...] nor can she possibly be making a distinction between value judgments and facts [It distinguishes facts from...]. Another problem with E. is that the general principle to which it alludes -- namely, that works of art are distinct entities -- is never stated but rather is inferable (by us) from Sheila's two analogous cases.

• Question 408:

  Marmosets are the only primates other than humans known to display a preference for using one hand rather than the other. Significantly more marmosets are left-handed than are right-handed. Since infant marmosets engage in much imitative behavior, researchers hypothesize that it is by imitation that infant marmosets learn which hand to use, so that offspring reared by left-handed parents generally share their parents' handedness.

  Which one of the following, if true, most supports the researchers' hypothesis?

  A. A study conducted on adult marmosets revealed that many were right-handed.

  B. Right-handed marmosets virtually all have at least one sibling who is left-handed.

  C. According to the study, 33 percent of marmosets are ambidextrous, showing equal facility using either their left hand or their right hand.

  D. Ninety percent of humans are right-handed, but those who are left-handed are likely to have at least nne left-handed narent.

  E. Renders the cause-and-effect much more likely.

  Correct Answer: E

  The hypothesis that the marmosets pick up their handedness by imitation hinges on the assumption of a causal link between the infants' handedness and the handedness of the adults allegedly being imitated.

• Question 409:

  Helena: Extroversion, or sociability, is not biologically determined. Children whose biological parents are introverted, when adopted by extroverts, tend to be more sociable than children of introverted parents who are not adopted. Jay: Your conclusion does not follow. Some of these children adopted by extroverts remain introverted no matter how young they are when adopted.

  Jay's response suggests that he interpreted Helena's remarks to mean that

  A. biological factors play only a partial role in a child being extroverted

  B. most but not all children whose biological parents are introverted become extroverted when adopted by extroverts.

  C. children whose biological parents are introverted, when adopted by extroverts, tend not to be more sociable than children of introverted parents who are not adopted

  D. biological factors do not play any role in a child being extroverted

  E. environmental factors can sometimes be more influential than biological factors in determining extroversion

  Correct Answer: D

  One short dialogue left to go, and we're asked for Jay's interpretation of Helena's remarks, as evidenced by his response. Helena's argument relates to the age-old nature/nurture controversy: Since kids born to introverts (non-social people) are generally more social when raised by extroverts (more social folks), Helena concludes that sociability is not hereditary; that is, is not biologically determined. Jay takes exception to her conclusion, stating that some children of introverts adopted by extroverts remain introverted. But to say, as Jay does, that some adopted kids will remain introverted doesn't rule out the possibility that extroversion is still primarily a learned trait. Helena never argues that every single kid born to introverted parents will blossom into a social butterfly if adopted by extroverts, but evidently, in attempting to counter her argument, that's what Jay heard her say. He distorts her argument into a position that's much more extreme than she intended, entirely ignoring the phrase "tend to be..." Helena's argument doesn't preclude the possibility that some adopted kids will remain introverted. Simply stating that some of these kids exist counters her argument only if she stated that biology has absolutely nothing to do with sociability. In advancing his supposed refutation, that's evidently what Jay heard.

• Question 410:

  The increasing complexity of scientific inquiry has led to a proliferation of multiauthored technical articles. Reports of clinical trials involving patients from several hospitals are usually coauthored by physicians from each participating hospital. Likewise, physics papers reporting results from experiments using subsystems developed at various laboratories generally have authors from each laboratory.

  If all of the statements above are true, which one of the following must be true?

  A. Clinical trials involving patients from several hospitals are never conducted solely by physicians from just one hospital.

  B. Most reports of clinical trials involving patients from several hospitals have multiple authors.

  C. When a technical article has multiple authors, they are usually from several different institutions.

  D. Physics papers authored by researchers from multiple laboratories usually report results from experiments using subsystems developed at each laboratory.

  E. Most technical articles are authored solely by the researchers who conducted the experiments these articles report.

  Correct Answer: B

  A standard Inference question comes at us next, so as usual we'll look to interpret and combine statements. Technical articles written by multiple authors are increasing due to the increasing complexity of science. Fair enough. An example of doctors from different hospitals co-authoring such articles is then given; no problem. Another example involving physics papers is then offered, showing how authors from different laboratories collaborate on those. No obvious connection jumps out, so let's go right to the choices looking for the one that must be true.