LSAC LSAC Certifications LSAT-TEST Questions & Answers

• Question 601:

  The student body at this university takes courses in a wide range of disciplines. Miriam is a student at this university, so she takes courses in a wide range of disciplines.

  Which one of the following arguments exhibits flawed reasoning most similar to that exhibited by the argument above?

  A. The students at this school take mathematics. Miguel is a student at this school, so he takes mathematics.

  B. The editorial board of this law journal has written on many legal issues. Louise is on the editorial; board, so she has written on many legal issues.

  C. The component parts of bulldozers are heavy. This machine is a bulldozer, so it is heavy.

  D. All older automobiles need frequent oil changes. This car is new, so its oil need not be changed as frequently.

  E. The individual cells of the brain are incapable of thinking. Therefore, the brain as a whole is incapable of thinking.

  Correct Answer: B

  Some students reported having trouble with this one on test day in December 1999. For some, it was because the logic struck them as correct, not "flawed" at all (even though the question stem is quite clear on that point). "Hey," they protested, "the students there take a wide range of courses and Miriam's a student--she must take a wide range too!" Nosiree! This is an example of a classic whole-to-part miscalculation. It is true of the student body taken in the aggregate that they take a wide range of courses. This doesn't have an impact on any one individual. It is eminently possible for a student, Miriam for instance, to take nothing but literature courses, and yet the generalization would remain true. So we're looking for a choice containing a similar error.

• Question 602:

  Parent: I had tried without success to get my young child to brush her teeth. I had hoped that she would imitate me, or that she would be persuaded by reason to brush her teeth. Then, I made a point of brushing her teeth for her immediately before reading her a story before her naps and at night. After several weeks, when I would pick up a storybook at these times, she began automatically to retrieve her toothbrush and brush her teeth herself.

  The parent's experience with the child most closely conforms to which one of the following generalizations?

  A. Children are most effectively taught to do something by someone's setting an example.

  B. Children more readily adopt a behavior through habit and repetition than through other means.

  C. Children are too young to understand rational arguments for adopting a behavior.

  D. Children often imitate the behavior of others rather than listening to reason.

  E. Children ordinarily act contrary to their parents' expectations in order to get more attention.

  Correct Answer: B

  The question stem tells us to find the generalization that captures the parent's experience, so we're looking for a principle: an abstract account covering the situation at hand. In this case, imitation didn't work, reason didn't work, but making brushing part of her story time routine did the trick. Habit and repetition can be more effective than other means.

• Question 603:

  For next year, the Chefs' Union has requested a 10 percent salary increase for each of its members, whereas the Hotel Managers' Union has requested only an 8 percent salary increase for each of its members. These facts demonstrate that the average dollar amount of the raises that the Chefs' Union has requested for next year is greater than that of the raises requested by the Hotel Managers' Union.

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

  A. The Chefs' Union has many more members than does the Hotel Managers' Union.

  B. The Chefs' Union is a more powerful union than is the Hotel Managers' Union and is therefore more likely to obtain the salary increases it requests.

  C. The current salaries of the members of the Chefs' Union are, on average, higher than the current salaries of the members of the Hotel Managers' Union.

  D. The average dollar amount of the raises that the members of the Chefs' Union received last year was equal to the average dollar amount of the raises that the members of the Hotel Managers' Union received.

  E. The members of the Chefs' Union received salary increases of 10 percent in each of the last two years, while the members of the Hotel Managers' Union received salary increases of only 8 percent in each of the last two years.

  Correct Answer: C

  A good critical reading reveals that the "facts" alluded to in the second sentence are the evidence for the conclusion they supposedly "demonstrate." The facts regard the respective salary demands of the Chefs' and Hotel Managers' unions. The chefs are looking for a 10 percent increase, while the managers are shooting for 8 percent. This, concludes our author, means that the dollar amount the chefs are requesting is higher than that of the managers. But a crucial piece of information is missing: What are these people making to begin with, before the raises? How can the author conclude that the average amount the Chef's Union is demanding is higher in real dollars than that of the Hotel Manager's Union if we have only info on percent increases, and no info on the salaries those increases are based on?

• Question 604:

  Opponents of peat harvesting in this country argue that it would alter the ecological balance of our peat-rich wetlands and that, as a direct consequence of this, much of the country's water supply would be threatened with contamination. But this cannot be true, for in Ireland, where peat has been harvested for centuries, the water supply is not contaminated. We can safely proceed with the harvesting of peat.

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

  A. Over hundreds of years, the ecological balance of all areas changes slowly but significantly, sometimes to the advantage of certain flora and fauna.

  B. The original ecology of the peat-harvesting are as of Ireland was virtually identical to that of the undisturbed wetlands of this country.

  C. The activities of other industries in coming years are likely to have adverse effects on the water supply of this country.

  D. The peat resources of this country are far larger than those of some countries that successfully harvest peat.

  E. The peat-harvesting industry of Ireland has be enable to supply most of that country's fuel for generations.

  Correct Answer: B

  The author's conclusion is that we can safely proceed with the harvesting of peat. How do we know that, contrary to opponents' claims, such harvesting will not threaten our water supply? Easy, according to the author: because in Ireland they have been harvesting peat for centuries and the water supply is not contaminated. Do you see what's going on here? It's simple: The author is reasoning by analogy--harvesting peat in this country will be safe because harvesting peat in Ireland is safe. Once you identified that the author argues by analogy, you should have been able to predict that the correct answer would tell you something about how Ireland and this country are similar.

• Question 605:

  Raymond Burr played the role of lawyer Perry Mason on television. Burr's death in 1993 prompted a prominent lawyer to say "Although not a lawyer, Mr. Burr strove for such authenticity that we feel as if we lost one of our own," This comment from a prestigious attorney provides appalling evidence that, in the face of television, even some legal professionals are losing their ability to distinguish fiction from reality.

  The reasoning in the argument is flawed because the argument

  A. takes the views of one lawyer to represent the views of all lawyers

  B. criticizes the lawyer rather than the lawyer's statement

  C. presumes that the lawyer is qualified to evaluate the performance of an actor

  D. focuses on a famous actor's portrayal of a lawyer rather than on the usual way in which lawyers are portrayed on television

  E. ignores the part of the lawyer's remark that indicates an awareness of the difference between reality and fiction

  Correct Answer: E

  "Ironside" makes his debut in this one. Is it art imitating life or life imitating art?--a common theme of the late 20th century. Here we have such a realistic TV portrayal of a lawyer that a "real-life" lawyer laments the death of the actor as the loss of "one of our own." The author is quick to deride the lawyer's sense of reality, citing her comment as "appalling evidence "that the influence of television has caused even professionals to lose the ability to distinguish fiction from reality. Aware from the stem that the reasoning in the passage is flawed, perhaps you were able to prephrase the problem with this logic: The author readily admits that Raymond Burr was not a lawyer, but rather an actor who played a lawyer with great authenticity. So even if the lawyer's lament is a bit silly and melodramatic, the author cannot accuse her of mistaking fiction for reality. As option [ignores the part of the lawyer's remark that...]. puts it, the author ignores the part of the lawyer's statement that would clearly forestall this critique.

• Question 606:

  More and more computer programs that provide solutions to mathematical problems in engineering are being produced, and it is thus increasingly unnecessary for practicing engineers to have a thorough understanding of fundamental mathematical principles. Consequently, in training engineers who will work in industry, less emphasis should be placed on mathematical principles, so that space in the engineering curriculum will be available for other important subjects.

  Which one of the following, if true, most seriously weakens the argument given for the recommendation above?

  A. The effective use of computer programs that provide solutions to mathematical problems in engineering requires an understanding of mathematical principles.

  B. Many of the computer programs that provide solutions to mathematical problems in engineering are already in routine use.

  C. Development of composites and other such new materials has meant that the curriculum for engineers who will work in industry must allow time for teaching the properties of these materials.

  D. Most of the computer programs that provide solutions to mathematical problems in engineering can be run on the types of computers available to most engineering firms.

  E. The engineering curriculum already requires that engineering students be familiar with and able to use a variety of computer programs.

  Correct Answer: A

  We're told in the stem that we need a choice that weakens a recommendation, so we should search for the recommendation while at the same time keeping our eye out for possible problems with it. According to the author, practicing engineers need not be math whizzes any longer due to the abundance of computer programs that solve engineering math problems. "Consequently. . ." (note the excellent conclusion Keyword), engineering programs "should" place less emphasis on math to free up time for other subjects. That, of course, is the recommendation we're looking to weaken. A good weakner would seek to demonstrate that math is not as superfluous as the author maintains, and Option [The effective use of computer programs that...] accomplishes this by forging a link between math skills and the operation of the programs that the author believes makes math skills unnecessary. If no special skills are required to utilize the programs, then the author may have a point. But if the programs themselves require a certain level of math proficiency to use effectively, the author's recommendation to deemphasize math in engineering training would seem ill-advised.

• Question 607:

  Exactly seven toy-truck models ?F, G, H, J, K, M, and S ?are assembled on seven assembly lines, exactly

  one model to a line. The seven lines are arranged side by side and numbered consecutively F through 7.

  Assignment of models to lines must meet the following conditions:

  F is assembled on a lower-numbered line than J.

  M is assembled on the line numbered one lower than the line on which G is assembled.

  H is assembled on line 1 or else line 7.

  S is assembled on line 4.

  If M is assembled on line 1, which one of the following could be true?

  A. F is assembled on a line numbered one lower than the line on which H is assembled.

  B. F is assembled on a line numbered one lower than the line on which K is assembled.

  C. G is assembled on a line numbered one lower than the line on which J is assembled.

  D. G is assembled on a line numbered one lower than the line on which K is assembled.

  E. K is assembled on a line numbered one lower than the line on which G is assembled.

  Correct Answer: D

  Again, we're presented with a hypothetical piece of information which we need to incorporate into our sketch. If M is in1, then G must be in 2 (Rule 2), and H must be in 7 (Rule 3). We're left to place F, J, and K in accordance with Rule 1.

• Question 608:

  Exactly seven toy-truck models ?F, G, H, J, K, M, and S ?are assembled on seven assembly lines, exactly

  one model to a line. The seven lines are arranged side by side and numbered consecutively F through 7.

  Assignment of models to lines must meet the following conditions:

  F is assembled on a lower-numbered line than J.

  M is assembled on the line numbered one lower than the line on which G is assembled.

  H is assembled on line 1 or else line 7.

  S is assembled on line 4.

  If G is assembled on the line numbered one less than the line on which F is assembled, then which one of

  the following must be true?

  A. F is assembled on line 3.

  B. G is assembled on line 5.

  C. H is assembled on line 1.

  D. K is assembled on line 5.

  E. M is assembled on line 6

  Correct Answer: A

  Here's another question that highlights the importance of blocs of entities. If G is one before F, then (along with Rules 1and 2) we can form the bloc of "MGF . . . J." The only way for us to place that in the sequence is if M, G, and F go in 1, 2, and 3, respectively, to be followed at some point by J. With space 1 occupied, H must go in 7 (Rule 3).

• Question 609:

  Exactly seven toy-truck models ?F, G, H, J, K, M, and S ?are assembled on seven assembly lines, exactly

  one model to a line. The seven lines are arranged side by side and numbered consecutively F through 7.

  Assignment of models to lines must meet the following conditions:

  F is assembled on a lower-numbered line than J.

  M is assembled on the line numbered one lower than the line on which G is assembled.

  H is assembled on line 1 or else line 7.

  S is assembled on line 4.

  There can be at most how many lines between the line on which F is assembled and the line on which J is

  assembled?

  A. one

  B. two

  C. three

  D. four

  E. five

  Correct Answer: D

  For this question, we are able to find the answer before we move on to the choices. We know that F must precede J, so let's just try out some scenarios, looking to place them as far away from each other as possible. If F is in 1, can J be in 7? No, because filling spaces 1 and 7 without H would violate Rule 3.With F in 1, can J be in 6? Sure, here's how:

  FMGSKJH 1234567

• Question 610:

  Exactly seven toy-truck models ?F, G, H, J, K, M, and S ?are assembled on seven assembly lines, exactly

  one model to a line. The seven lines are arranged side by side and numbered consecutively F through 7.

  Assignment of models to lines must meet the following conditions:

  F is assembled on a lower-numbered line than J.

  M is assembled on the line numbered one lower than the line on which G is assembled.

  H is assembled on line 1 or else line 7.

  S is assembled on line 4.

  If K is assembled on line 2, which one of the following must be true?

  A. F is assembled on a lower-numbered line than S.

  B. H is assembled on a lower-numbered line than G.

  C. J is assembled on a lower-numbered line than H.

  D. M is assembled on a lower-numbered line than J.

  E. S is assembled on a lower-numbered line than J.

  Correct Answer: A

  The new piece of information in the stem, that K is in 2, allows us to deduce something about the placement of the "MG" bloc. "MG" must be fit in either 5 and 6, or 6 and 7. Either way, space 6 must be occupied by one of M or G.