LSAC LSAC Certifications LSAT-TEST Questions & Answers

• Question 651:

  Political opinion and analysis outside the mainstream rarely are found on television talk shows, and it might be thought that this state of affairs is a product of the political agenda of the television stations themselves. In fact, television stations are driven by the same economic forces as sellers of more tangible goods. Because they must attempt to capture the largest possible share of the television audience for their shows, they air only those shows that will appeal to large numbers of people. As a result, political opinions and analyses aired on television talk shows are typically bland and innocuous.

  An assumption made in the explanation offered by the author of the passage is that

  A. most television viewers cannot agree on which elements of a particular opinion or analysis are most disturbing

  B. there are television viewers who might refuse to watch television talk shows that they knew would be controversial and disturbing

  C. each television viewer holds some opinion that is outside the political mainstream, but those opinions are not the same for everyone

  D. there are television shows on which economic forces have an even greater impact than they do on television talk shows

  E. the television talk shows of different stations resemble one another in most respects

  Correct Answer: B

  The author concludes that political opinions on TV talk shows are bland and innocuous. Why is that? Not, as some might think, because the TV stations have their own political agenda. According to the author, it's because stations air only those shows that will appeal to large numbers of people, and that's because the stations are driven by economic forces. If you look at this author's conclusion, that the talk shows are innocuous, and then look at the reason why, because the stations are trying to appeal to lots of people, then you can spot a missing link: that only bland opinions appeal to lots of people. That works as a central assumption in this argument. A prephrase similar to this will help you attack the answer choices. When you do, option [there are television viewers who might refuse...] should jump out. For the author's argument to work, he must assume that some viewers would not watch something they found controversial. If that were not the case, and everyone tunes in even when something is controversial, then stations could run these programs and still hope to gain as many viewers as possible.

• Question 652:

  Physical education should teach people to pursue healthy, active lifestyles as they grow older. But the focus on competitive sports in most schools causes most of the less competitive students to turn away from sports. Having learned to think of themselves as unathletic, they do not exercise enough to stay healthy.

  Which one of the following is most strongly supported by the statements above, if they are true?

  A. Physical education should include noncompetitive activities.

  B. Competition causes most students to turn away from sports.

  C. People who are talented at competitive physical endeavors exercise regularly.

  D. The mental aspects of exercise are as important as the physical ones.

  E. Children should be taught the dangers of a sedentary lifestyle.

  Correct Answer: A

  The question stem tells us we're looking for an inference, so we should take the statements in the stimulus as true and see what follows from them. The first sentence describes some goals of physical education. But some schools turn non- competitive students away from sports by focusing on competitive activities. Those students don't exercise enough later. So while sports and physical education are good things, focusing on competitive activities alienates a part of the population these activities are designed to help. So option [Physical education should include...].is strongly supported. If physical education included noncompetitive activities, maybe those noncompetitive students will get some of the benefits.

• Question 653:

  Economist: To the extent that homelessness arises from a lack of available housing, it should not be assumed that the profit motive is at fault. Private investors will, in general, provide housing if the market allows them to make a profit; it is unrealistic to expect investors to take risks with their property unless they get some benefit in return.

  Which one of the following most accurately describes the role played in the economist's argument by the phrase "To the extent that homelessness arises from a lack of available housing"

  A. It limits the application of the argument to a part of the problem.

  B. It suggests that the primary cause of homelessness is lack of available housing.

  C. It is offered as evidence crucial to the conclusion.

  D. It expresses the conclusion to be argued for.

  E. It suggests a possible solution to the problem of homelessness.

  Correct Answer: A

  "To the extent that homelessness arises from a lack of available housing, it should not be assumed that profit motive is at fault" means that profit motive doesn't cause homelessness by reducing the availability of housing. So the economist isn't claiming that profit motive doesn't cause homelessness in any way; he's just claiming that it doesn't cause homelessness by educing the availability of housing. So the phrase "To the extent that homelessness arises from a lack of available housing" limits the scope of the argument; the issue isn't "causes of homelessness" in general. Rather, it's the influence of profit motive on homelessness caused by the lack of available housing.

• Question 654:

  Combustion of gasoline in automobile engines produces benzene, a known carcinogen. Environmentalists

  propose replacing gasoline with methanol, which does not produce significant quantities of benzene when

  burned. However, combustion of methanol produces formaldehyde, also a known carcinogen. Therefore,

  the environmentalists' proposal has little merit.

  Which one of the following, if true, most supports the environmentalists' proposal?

  A. The engines of some automobiles now on the road bum diesel fuel rather than gasoline.

  B. Several large research efforts are under way to formulate cleaner-burning types of gasoline.

  C. In some regions, the local economy is largely dependent on industries devoted to the production and distribution of automobile fuel.

  D. Formaldehyde is a less potent carcinogen than benzene.

  E. Since methanol is water soluble, methanol spills are more damaging to the environment than gasoline spills.

  Correct Answer: D

  You're asked which of the answer choices, if true, would most strengthen the environmentalists' proposal. Note that you're not asked to strengthen the author's argument. So, in this case you want to support the proposal that we should replace gasoline with methanol, because burning methanol does not produce benzene, a known carcinogen. The author points out, however, that burning methanol produces formaldehyde, which is also a carcinogen. In order to strengthen the environmentalists' proposal, you need an answer choice that either helps to explain why producing a different carcinogen is really no big deal, or perhaps gives additional benefits to burning methanol. Choice [Formaldehyde is...] works because it tells you that formaldehyde is a less potent carcinogen than benzene. The environmentalists' proposal is therefore strengthened because it makes sense to use the fuel that produces the less potent carcinogen. Note that this answer choice doesn't say that methanol is the perfect solution; it only adds support to the proposal that gasoline be replaced with methanol.

• Question 655:

  Exactly six piano classes are given sequentially on Monday: two with more than one student and four with

  exactly one student. Exactly four females -- Gimena, Holly, Iyanna, and Kate -- and five males -- Leung,

  Nate, Oscar, Pedro, and Saul -- attend these classes. Each student attends exactly one class. The

  following must obtain:

  Iyanna and Leung together constitute one class.

  Pedro and exactly two others together constitute one class.

  Kate is the first female, but not the first student, to attend a class.

  Gimena's class is at some time after Iyanna's but at some time before Pedro's.

  Oscar's class is at some time after Gimena's.

  If Oscar and Pedro do not attend the same class as each other, then which one of the following could be

  true?

  A. Gimena attends the fifth class.

  B. Holly attends the third class.

  C. Iyanna attends the fourth class.

  D. Nate attends the fifth class.

  E. Saul attends the second class.

  Correct Answer: D

• Question 656:

  Exactly six piano classes are given sequentially on Monday: two with more than one student and four with

  exactly one student. Exactly four females -- Gimena, Holly, Iyanna, and Kate -- and five males -- Leung,

  Nate, Oscar, Pedro, and Saul -- attend these classes. Each student attends exactly one class. The

  following must obtain:

  Iyanna and Leung together constitute one class.

  Pedro and exactly two others together constitute one class.

  Kate is the first female, but not the first student, to attend a class.

  Gimena's class is at some time after Iyanna's but at some time before Pedro's.

  Oscar's class is at some time after Gimena's.

  Suppose the condition that Oscar attends a class after Gimena is replaced with the condition that Oscar attends a class before Gimena and after Kate. If all the other conditions remain the same, then which class must Holly attend?

  A. the second

  B. the third

  C. the fourth

  D. the fifth

  E. the sixth

  Correct Answer: E

  Now o is between K and G. So either n or s is first, K must be second, and the third and fourth positions are occupied by o and the I+l pair, in either order. The fifth position goes to G, and p is in the sixth position with the other of the n/s pair and. . . H! After all, Holly is the only entity left. So E. is correct

• Question 657:

  Exactly six piano classes are given sequentially on Monday: two with more than one student and four with

  exactly one student. Exactly four females -- Gimena, Holly, Iyanna, and Kate -- and five males -- Leung,

  Nate, Oscar, Pedro, and Saul -- attend these classes. Each student attends exactly one class. The

  following must obtain:

  Iyanna and Leung together constitute one class.

  Pedro and exactly two others together constitute one class.

  Kate is the first female, but not the first student, to attend a class.

  Gimena's class is at some time after Iyanna's but at some time before Pedro's.

  Oscar's class is at some time after Gimena's.

  Which one of the following pairs of students could be in the class with Pedro?

  A. Gimena and Holly

  B. Holly and Saul

  C. Kate and Nate

  D. Leung and Oscar

  E. Nate and Saul

  Correct Answer: B

• Question 658:

  Exactly six piano classes are given sequentially on Monday: two with more than one student and four with

  exactly one student. Exactly four females -- Gimena, Holly, Iyanna, and Kate -- and five males -- Leung,

  Nate, Oscar, Pedro, and Saul -- attend these classes. Each student attends exactly one class. The

  following must obtain:

  Iyanna and Leung together constitute one class.

  Pedro and exactly two others together constitute one class.

  Kate is the first female, but not the first student, to attend a class.

  Gimena's class is at some time after Iyanna's but at some time before Pedro's.

  Oscar's class is at some time after Glmena's.

  Which one of the following is a complete and accurate list of classes any one of which could be the class

  Gimena attends?

  A. the fourth, the fifth

  B. the fourth, the sixth

  C. the second, the fourth, the fifth

  D. the third, the fifth, the sixth

  E. the second, the third, the fourth

  Correct Answer: A

  Three classes must be scheduled before G's class (n/s . . . K, and I+l), and so G cannot be second or

  third. That kills options [the second, the fourth, the fifth], [the third, the fifth, the sixth] and [the second, the

  third, the fourth]. p and o come after G, and so G cannot be last.

  That kills option [the fourth, the sixth].

  稺hen you get a "complete and accurate" question, you can use the choices strategically. Any choice that

  is wrong in any respect can be eliminated. Sometimes, you can eliminate many choices at once! 稩f the

  testmakers had been more sadistic, they might have made one of the choices merely "fourth." That would

  have trapped anyone that didn't see that o and p could be together in the triple class, allowing one of the

  H/n/s trio to push G into the fifth position.

• Question 659:

  A college dean will present seven awards for outstanding language research. The awards -- one for

  French, one for German, one for Hebrew, one for Japanese, one for Korean, one for Latin, and one for

  Swahili -- must be presented consecutively, one at a time, in conformity with the following constraints:

  The German award is not presented first.

  The Hebrew award is presented at some time before the Korean award is presented.

  The Latin award is presented at some time before the Japanese award is presented.

  The French award is presented either immediately before or immediately after the Hebrew award is

  presented.

  The Korean award is presented either immediately before or immediately after the Latin award is

  presented.

  The order in which the awards are presented is completely determined if which one of the following is

  true?

  A. The French award is presented immediately before the German award is presented, and the Korean award is presented immediately before the Latin award is presented.

  B. The French award is presented immediately before the Hebrew award is presented, and the Hebrew award is presented immediately before the Korean award is presented.

  C. The French award is presented immediately before the Latin award is presented, and the Korean award is presented immediately before the Japanese award is presented.

  D. The German award is presented immediately before the French award is presented, and the Latin award is presented immediately before the Japanese award is presented.

  E. The German award is presented immediately before the Korean award is presented, and the Hebrew award is presented immediately before the French award is presented.

  Correct Answer: D

  This question provides us with no new information. Rather, it asks us for the answer choice that, when added to the rules of the game, would determine the sequence of the awards. Blindly checking each choice could take a while. Instead, let's attack this question strategically. The correct answer choice will somehow have to restrict the placement of the freest entities, G and S. None of the choices mentions S, so let's check the three choices that contain G.

• Question 660:

  Exactly six piano classes are given sequentially on Monday: two with more than one student and four with exactly one student. Exactly four females -- Gimena, Holly, Iyanna, and Kate -- and five males -- Leung,

  Nate, Oscar, Pedro, and Saul -- attend these classes. Each student attends exactly one class. The

  following must obtain:

  Iyanna and Leung together constitute one class.

  Pedro and exactly two others together constitute one class.

  Kate is the first female, but not the first student, to attend a class.

  Gimena's class is at some time after Iyanna's but at some time before Pedro's.

  Oscar's class is at some time after Glmena's.

  Which one of the following students could attend the first class?

  A. Holly

  B. Leung

  C. Oscar

  D. Pedro

  E. Saul

  Correct Answer: E

  Who could be first? Only n or s. The testmaker picked s in option [Saul]. Boom. If you didn't make this deduction up front, you could have figured it out via elimination. The first student couldn't be a female (Rule 3), so option [Holly] is out. Leung is with Iyanna, who is after Kate, so option [Leung] is out. o and p are definitely placed after other entities, so options [Oscar] and [Pedro] are out, and again option [Saul] is correct. But it's faster to scan for the correct answer.