LSAC LSAC Certifications LSAT-TEST Questions & Answers

• Question 471:

  Navigation in animals is defined as the animal's ability to find its way from unfamiliar territory to points familiar to the animal but beyond the immediate range of the animal's senses. Some naturalists claim that polar bears can navigate over considerable distances. As evidence, they cite an instance of a polar bear that returned to its home territory after being released over 500 kilometers (300 miles) away.

  Which one of the following, if true, casts the most doubt on the validity of the evidence offered in support of the naturalists' claim?

  A. The polar bear stopped and changed course several times as it moved toward its home territory.

  B. The site at which the polar bear was released was on the bear's annual migration route.

  C. The route along which the polar bear traveled consisted primarily of snow and drifting ice.

  D. Polar bears are only one of many species of mammal whose members have been known to find their way home from considerable distances.

  E. Polar bears often rely on their extreme sensitivity to smell in order to scent out familiar territory.

  Correct Answer: B

  The stem points us right to the part of the argument we need to focus on: the evidence supporting the naturalists' claim. Our job is to find the choice that weakens its validity. First we get a definition of navigation, followed by the claim and evidence referred to in the stem. Some naturalists think polar bears can navigate over long distances because a polar be aronce journeyed 300 miles to reach home. The naturalists seem enthused about this account, evidently believing it to bean instance of navigation. But the definition of navigation is an animal's ability to find its way home from unfamiliar territory that's beyond their senses, neither of which we hear anything about in the case of the wayward bear. The evidence given here would mean squat if the bear's journey was through familiar territory or if the 300 miles was not out of range of the bear's senses. B. speaks to the former, making it seem likely that the bear knew the route all along. That would strongly suggest that this particular account is not credible support for the naturalists' claim.

• Question 472:

  Many of the presidents and prime ministers who have had the most successful foreign policies had no prior experience in foreign affairs when they assumed office. Although scholars and diplomats in the sacrosanct inner circle of international affairs would have us think otherwise, anyone with an acute political sense, a disciplined temperament, and a highly developed ability to absorb and retain information can quickly learn to conduct a successful foreign policy. In fact, prior experience alone will be of little value to a foreign policymaker who lacks all three of these traits.

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

  A. Scholars and diplomats have more experience in foreign affairs than most presidents and prime ministers bring to office.

  B. Prior experience in foreign affairs is neither a sufficient nor a necessary condition for a president or prime minister to have a successful foreign policy.

  C. Prior experience in foreign affairs is a necessary but not sufficient condition for a president or prime minister to have a successful foreign policy.

  D. An acute political sense, a disciplined temperament, and a highly developed ability to absorb and retain information are each necessary conditions for a president or prime minister to have a successful foreign policy.

  E. A president or prime minister with years of experience in foreign affairs will have a more successful foreign policy than one who does not have experience in foreign affairs.

  Correct Answer: B

  Here's another Inference question, so let's understand each statement and see if we can prephrase any connections upfront. It doesn't take a president or prime minister lots of prior experience in foreign affairs to achieve success in foreign policy. Although some experts disagree, all it takes are certain characteristics to succeed in foreign policy. Without the traits that the author cites, previous experience in foreign affairs alone is little value.

• Question 473:

  To accommodate the personal automobile, houses are built on widely scattered lots far from places of work and shopping malls are equipped with immense parking lots that leave little room for wooded areas. Hence, had people generally not used personal automobiles, the result would have to have been a geography of modern cities quite different from the one we have now.

  The argument's reasoning is questionable because the argument

  A. infers from the idea that the current geography of modern cities resulted from a particular cause that it could only have resulted from that cause

  B. infers from the idea that the current geography of modern cities resulted from a particular cause that other facets of modern life resulted from that cause

  C. overlooks the fact that many technological innovations other than the personal automobile have had some effect on the way people live

  D. takes for granted that shopping malls do not need large parking lots even given the use of the personal automobile

  E. takes for granted that people ultimately want to live without personal automobiles

  Correct Answer: A

  What's the flaw? Let's check it out. To make room for cars, housing developments and shopping mall developed in a certain way. The author concludes (note the Keyword "Hence") that had cars not been so popular, modern cities would be much different than they are now. This boils down to a simple argument of causation: Cars cause a certain geography; take away the cause, and the result will change. But who's to say that the same geography would not have resulted anyway? What if a different popular form of transportation that emerged instead of cars had the same effect? Cars may have been sufficient to bring about the geography described, but nowhere does it say they're necessary -- that is, that something else couldn't bring about the same living and shopping environments described in the argument. It's invalid to argue that without cars, cities would be different, because while the automobile did bring about the world described, it need not be the only thing that could have created that environment.

• Question 474:

  Smith's statements can most directly be used as part of an argument for which one of the following views?

  A. A democratic government does not infringe on the rights of any of its citizens.

  B. Children have rights that must be respected by any political authority that rules over them.

  C. News programs for children would give them enough information to enable them to vote in an informed way.

  D. If there are any limitations on full democracy that result from denying the vote to children, such limitations must be accepted.

  E. If parents do not adequately represent their children's interests in the political sphere, those interests will be adequately represented by someone else.

  Correct Answer: D

  Here's a slight twist: If we're to use Smith's statements as part of an argument for a view, essentially we're asked which choice contains a scenario that Smith's statements would strengthen. Not the usual form for a strengthen question, but hey, no biggie. First Smith agrees that children's and adults' interests sometimes differ, and even provides an example. She then presents perhaps the most obvious rebuttal to Rossi's position, namely that there are still a number of things about kids that suggests that giving them the vote is not such a good idea. There's no sense obsessing over the details if you get this basic gist. We can't possibly know what views will be presented in the choices, so let's again move right to them, looking for the one supported by Smith's argument.

• Question 475:

  Rossi: It is undemocratic for people to live under a government in which their interests are not represented. So children should have the right to vote, since sometimes the interests of children are different from those of their parents. Smith: Granted, children's interests are not always the same as their parents'; governmental deficits incurred by their parents' generation will later affect their own generation's standard of living. But even if children are told about the issues affecting them, which is not generally the case, their conceptions of what can or should be done are too simple, and their time horizons are radically different from those of adults, so we cannot give them the responsibility of voting.

  Which one of the following most accurately describes Rossi's argument?

  A. It makes an appeal to a general principle.

  B. It denies the good faith of an opponent.

  C. It relies on evaluating the predictable consequences of a proposal.

  D. It substitutes description for giving a rationale fora policy.

  E. It employs a term on two different occasions indifferent senses.

  Correct Answer: A

  Our first double question stimulus is up next, and the first is a Method of Argument question that tells us up front to concentrate on how Rossi's argument proceeds. It's a short argument. Sentence 1 is a judgment: Living under a government that doesn't represent people's interests is undemocratic. The second sentence, beginning with the usual conclusion Keyword "so," concludes that children should be allowed to vote, since their interests sometimes differ from those of adults. Here, children are used as an example of a group that's not represented and that should be, at least based on the judgment in the first sentence.

• Question 476:

  If you have no keyboarding skills at all, you will not be able to use a computer. And if you are not able to use a computer, you will not be able to write your essays using a word processing program.

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

  A. If you have some keyboarding skills, you will be able to write your essays using a word processing program.

  B. If you are not able to write your essays using award processing program, you have no keyboarding skills.

  C. If you are able to write your essays using a word-processing program, you have at least some keyboarding skills.

  D. If you are able to use a computer, you will probably be able to write your essays using a word processing program.

  E. If you are not able to write your essays using award processing program, you are not able to use a computer.

  Correct Answer: C

  Next up is the first Inference question of the section, and a quick scan reveals "if" is as far as the eye can see, so chances are we have a formal logic problem on our hands. And indeed, this is an excellent exercise in handling if-then and contrapositives. If X (no keyboard skills) then Y (not able to use a computer) and if Y (not able to use a computer) then Z (not able to write essays with a word processor). Thanks to the common Y term, these two statements can be combined to form if X then Z: "If you have no keyboard skills, then you cannot write essays with a word processor." That would be a fine answer, but is not among the choices. Its contrapositive, however, is: "If you can write essays with a word processor, then you must have at least some keyboard skills" (i.e., must NOT have no skills).

• Question 477:

  Hana said she was not going to invite her brothers to her birthday party. However, among the gifts Hana received at her party was a recording in which she had expressed an interest. Since her brothers had planned to give her that recording, at least some of Hana's brothers must have been among the guests at Hana's birthday party after all.

  A reasoning error in the argument is that the argument

  A. disregards the possibility that a change of mind might be justified by a change in circumstances

  B. treats the fact of someone's presence at a givenevenfas a guarantee that that person had a legitimate reason to be at that event

  C. uses a term that is intrinsically evaluative as though that term was purely descriptive

  D. fails to establish that something true of some people is true of only those people

  E. overlooks the possibility that a person's interesting one kind of thing is compatible with that person's interest in a different kind of thing

  Correct Answer: D

  A Flaw question keep your eyes peeled for the usual suspects. We can call this one "Hana and Her Brothers." It's almost certain that if someone tried to put this argument over on you in person you'd interject "But what if someone else gave her the record?" Reasonable, right? Just because the brothers planned to give her that recording doesn't mean that the existence of the recording among the gifts proves some of them were there, because it's quite possible that someone else planned to, and did, in fact, give her that record. It would probably be too easy an answer if the test makers stated the flaw this clearly, so they probably felt obligated to dress it up a bit in the abstract wording of option [fails to establish that something true of...], but the idea is the same: Now here does the argument state that the desire to get Hana that particular record, "something true of some people" (her brothers), is unique only to those people (maybe someone else had the same idea).

• Question 478:

  In some countries, there is a free flow of information about infrastructure, agriculture, and industry, whereas in other countries, this information is controlled by a small elite. In the latter countries, the vast majority of the population is denied vital information about factors that determine their welfare. Thus, these countries are likely to experience more frequent economic crises than other countries do.

  The conclusion follows logically if which one of the following is assumed?

  A. It is more likely that people without political power will suffer from economic crises than it is that people in power will.

  B. Economic crises become more frequent as the amount of information available to the population about factors determining its welfare decreases.

  C. In nations in which the government controls access to information about infrastructure, agriculture, and industry, economic crises are common.

  D. The higher the percentage of the population that participates in economic decisions, the better those decisions are.

  E. A small elite that controls information about infrastructure, agriculture, and industry is likely to manipulate that information for its own benefit.

  Correct Answer: B

  Another Assumption question, so the familiar drill applies; let's analyze the components of the argument and see what's missing. And this one has "connect the dots" written all over it. Remember back in Q. 1 when the idea of student interests seemed to drop in out of nowhere? Did you notice its counterpart here? In countries where the elite control the flow of information on certain topics, most people are denied important information on topics that are relevant to their welfare. From this, the author concludes (notice the Keyword "Thus") that these countries are likely to have economic crises more often than other countries. Where does that come from? From out of nowhere, really, which tells us there's a big chunk missing here. The argument works only if the idea of economic crises is connected with the notion of people being denied information vital to their welfare. Option [Economic crises become more frequent as...] connects the dots, so to speak, by forging the necessary link between these parts of the argument.

• Question 479:

  Maria: Thomas Edison was one of the most productive inventors of his time, perhaps of all time. His contributions significantly shaped the development of modern lighting and communication systems. Yet he had only a few months of formal schooling. Therefore, you do not need a formal education to make crucial contributions to technological advancement. Frank: That is definitely not true anymore. Since Edison's day there have been many new developments in technology; to make crucial contributions today you need much more extensive technical knowledge than was needed then.

  Frank's reasoning in his response to Maria is most vulnerable to criticism on the grounds that it

  A. fails to address the possibility that technical knowledge may be acquired without formal education

  B. does not consider whether there have been improvements in formal education since Edison's day

  C. relies on using the term "crucial" differently from the way Maria used it

  D. presumes that no other inventor of Edison's time could have been as productive as Edison

  E. fails to criticize or question any of Maria's statements about Edison

  Correct Answer: A

  The stem indicates that Frank's reasoning goes off the rails, so let's keep our eye out for the classic flaws. First, Maria's point: Edison contributed greatly in the technological arena with little formal schooling, so evidently formal education is not required to make such contributions. Seems reasonable. But Frank says that's not true anymore; contributing to today's technological environment requires lots more technical knowledge than it did in Edison's day. That may make sense, if not for the scope shift between "formal schooling" and "technical knowledge." Frank's conclusion regarding formal education ("that's not true" means "you do need formal education to contribute") is derived from evidence about the need for technical knowledge. But who says technical knowledge requires formal education? Certainly not Frank.

• Question 480:

  Chairperson: The board of directors of our corporation should not allow the incentives being offered by two foreign governments to entice us to expand our operations into their countries without further consideration of the issue. Although there is an opportunity to increase our profits by expanding our operations there, neither of these countries is politically stable.

  The chairperson's reasoning most closely conforms to which one of the following principles?

  A. A corporation should never expand operations into countries that are politically unstable.

  B. Corporations should expand operations into countries when there is a chance of increasing profits.

  C. Political stability is the most important consideration in deciding whether to expand operations into a country.

  D. Corporations should always be cautious about expanding operations into politically unstable countries.

  E. Boards of directors should always disregard governmental incentives when considering where to expand corporate operations.

  Correct Answer: D

  This type of Principle question asks to which principle in the choices the argument most closely conforms, which means the right answer will be a general restatement of the argument's gist. The chairperson warns that the company shouldn't hastily gobble up the incentives to expand globally without giving the prospect more thought. Profits may rise, sure, but the countries in question are politically unstable. So the principle we seek will be a straightforward mirror of these elements, and will have to capture the proper tone, as well. Notice that the chairperson is not slamming the door on the opportunity or making any grand pronouncements on what should be done; she's merely, as D. puts it, advocating caution in this matter. The rest of option [Corporations should always be cautious about...] is perfectly in line with the situation; every term matches up. In contrast, all of the wrong choices go to extremes.