LSAT wrong answer set

Stimulus: “The miscarriage of justice in the Barker case was due to the mistaken views held by some of the forensic scientists involved in the case, who believed that they owed allegiance only to the prosecuting lawyers. Justice was thwarted becasue these forensic scientists failed to provid evidence impartially to both the defnese and the prosecution. Hence it is not forensic science in general that should be condemned for this injustice.

Prompt: Which of the following, if true, most strenghtens the argument?

A. Most forensic scientists acknowledge a professional obligation to provide evidence impartially to both the defense and the prosecution

B. The type of injustice that occurred in the Barker case has occurred in other cases as well

C. Most prosecuting lawyers believe that forensic scientists owe a special allegiance to the prosecution

D. Many instances of injustice in court cases are not of the same type as that which occurred in the Barker case

E. Many forensic scientists do not believe that any miscarriage of justice occurred in the Barker case

A. Most forensic scientists acknowledge a professional obligation to provide evidence impartially to both the defense and the prosecution

Stimulus:

Zachary: The term “fresco“ refers to paint that has been applied to wet plaster. Once dried, a fresco indelibly preserves the paint that a painter has applied in this way. Unfortunately, additions known to have been made by later painters have obscured the original fresco work done by Michelangelo in the Sistine Chapel. Therefore, in order to restore Michaelangelo's Sistine Chapel paintings to the appearance that Michelangelo intended them to have, everything except the original fresco work must be stripped away.

Stephen: But it was extremely common for painters of Michelangelo's era to add painted details to their own fresco work after the frescos had dried.

Prompt: Stephen’s response to Zachary proceeds by

A. calling into question an assumption on which Zachary’s conclusion depends

B. challenging the definition of a key term in Zachary’s argument

C. drawing a conclusion other than the one that Zachary reaches

D. denying the truth of one of the stated premises of Zachary’s argument

E. demonstrating that Zachary’s conclusion is not consistent with the premises he uses to support it

Answer: A. calling into question an assumption on which Zachary’s conclusion depends

Explanation:

-the conclusion definitely follows from the support

-Stephen is simply pointing out that one form of that support (the assumption that Michaelangelo did not make any additions to his own work) could be wrong

Stimulus: The rate of psychological problems is higher among children of divorced parents than among other children. But it would be a mistake to conclude that these problems are caused by the difficulty the children have adjusting to divorce. It is just as reasonable to infer that certain behaviors that increase the likelihood of divorce—hostility, distrust, lack of empathy—are learned by children from their parents, and that it is these learned behaviors, rather than the difficulty of adjusting to divorce, that casue the children’s psychological problems

Prompt: What’s the conclusion?

A. It is just as reasonable to infer that certain behaviors that increase the likelihood of divorce are learned by children from their parents, and that it is these learned behaviors that casue the children’s psychological problems

B. It would be a mistake to conclude that these problems are caused by the difficulty the children have adjusting to divorce

C. Children of divorced parents do not have psychological problems at a higher rate than children of non-divorced parents

B. It would be a mistake to conclude that these problems are caused by the difficulty the children have adjusting to divorce

Stimulus: The welfare state cannot be successfully implemented becasue it rests on the assumption that human beings are unselfish, a seemingly false assumption. The welfare state is feasible only if wage earners are prepared to have their hard-earned funds used to help others in greater need, and that required an unselfish attitude. But people innately seek their own well-being, especially when the interest of others threaten it.

Prompt: Which one of the following most accurately expresses the main conclusion of the sociologist’s argument?

A. The welfare state will not work

B. The welfare state unfairly asks those who work hard to help those in greater need

C. The assumption that human beings are unselfish is false

D. The interests of the less fortunate impinge on the interests of others

E. The welfare state relies on the generosity of wage earners

A. The welfare state will not work

Stimulus: It is possible to grow agricultural crops that can thrive when irrigated with seawater. Such farming, if undertaken near oceans, would actually be cheaper than most other irrigated agriculture, since the water would not have to be pumped far. The greated expense in irrigated agriculture is in pumping the water, and the pumping costs increase with the distance the water is pumped.

Prompt: Which one of the following most accurately describes the role played in the argument by the claim that the greatest expense in irrigated agriculture is in pumping the water?

A. It is a claim that the argument shows to be false

B. It is a hypothesis that, if prove, would undermine the argument’s conclusion

C. It is evidence provided to support the argument’s conclusion

D. It is the argument’s conclusion

E. It is a claim for which the argument provides evidence, but which is not the argument’s conclusion

C. It is evidence provided to support the argument’s conclusion

Stimulus: It would not be surprising to discover that the trade routes between China and the West were opened many centuries, even millennia, earlier than 200 BC, contrary to what is currently believed. After all, what made the Great Silk Road so attractive as a trade route linking China and the West—level terrain, easily traversable mountain passes, and desert oases—would also have made it an attractive route for the original emigrants to China from Africa and the Middle East, and this early migration began at least one million years ago.

Prompt: That a migration from Africa and the Middle East to China occurred at least one million years ago figures in the above reasoning in which one of the following ways?

A. It is cited as conclusive evidence for the claim that trade links between China and the Middle East were established long before 200 BC

B. It is an intermediate conclusion made plausible by the description of the terrain along which the migration supposedly took place

C. It is offered as evidence in support of the claim that trade routes between China and the West could easily have been established much earlier than is currently believed

D. It is offered as evidence against the claim that trade routes between China and Africa preceded those eventually established between China and the Middle East

E. It is the main conclusion that the argument attempts to establish about intercourse between China and the West

Answer: C. It is offered as evidence in support of the claim that trade routes between China and the West could easily have been established much earlier than is currently believed

Explanation: The description of the terrain supports the idea that the route was attractive, but it doesn’t support the claim that the migration actually happened

Stimulus:

Yang: Yeast has long been known to be a leaven, that is, a substance used in baking to make breads rise. Since biblical evidence ties the use of leavens to events dating back to 1200 BC, we can infer that yeast was already known to be a leaven at that time.

Campisi: I find your inference unconvicing; several leavens other than yeast could have been known in 1200 BC.

Prompt: Campisi counters Yang’s argument by…

A. suggesting that an alternative set of evidence better supports Yang’s conclusion

B. questioning the truth of a presumption underlying Yang’s argument

C. denying the truth of Yang’s conclusion without considering the reason given for that conclusion

D. pointing out that the premises of Yang’s argument more strongly support a contrary conclusion

E. calling into question the truth of the evidence presented in Yang’s argument

B. questioning the truth of a presumption underlying Yang’s argument

Stimulus: Some people argue that capital punishment for theft was an essential part of the labor discipline of British capitalism. Critics of such a view argue that mroe people were executed for theft in preindustrial England than were executed in England after industrialization. But such a critism overlooks the fact that industrialization and capitalism are two very different social phenomena, and that the latter predated the former by several centuries.

Prompt: Which one of the following most accurately describes the role played in the passage by the point that capitalism and industrialization are distinct?

A. It is cited as some evidence against the claim that capital punishment for theft was an essential part of the labor discipline of British capitalism

B. It is cited as a direct contradiction of the claim that capital punishment for theft was an essential part of the labor discipline of British capitialism

C. It is an attempt to conclusively prove the claim that capital punishment for theft was an essential part of the labor discipline of British capitalism

D. It is cited as a fact supporting the critics of the view that capital punishment for theft was an essential part of the labor discipline of British capitalism

E. It is an attemtp to undermine the criticism cited against the claim that capital punishment for theft was an essential part of the labor discipline of British capitalism

E. It is an attemtp to undermine the criticism cited against the claim that capital punishment for theft was an essential part of the labor discipline of British capitalism

Stimulus: Some people contend that children should never be reprimanded. Any criticism, let alone punishment, they say, harms children’s self-esteem. This view is laudable in its challenge to the belief that children should be punished whener they misbehave, yet it gives a dangerous answer to the question of how often punishment should be inflicted. When parents never reprimand their children, they are in effect rewarding them for unacceptable behavior, and rewarded behavior tends to recur.

Prompt: The view that children should never be reprimanded functions in the psychologist’s argument as a statement of a position that the psychologist’s argument…

A. is designed to discredit entirely

B. is designed to establish as true

C. is designed to establish as well intentioned

D. claims has a serious flaw though is not without value

E. claims is less reasonable than any other view mentioned

D. claims has a serious flaw though is not without value

Stimulus: Many people have been duped by the claims of thosse who market certain questionable medical products. Their susceptibility is easy to explain: most people yearn for easy solutions to complex medical problems but don’t have the medical knowledge necessary to see through the sellers’ fradulent claims. However, the same explanation cannot be given for a recent trend among medical professionals toward a susceptibility to fradulent claims. They, of course, have no lack of medical knowledge.

Prompt: The argument proceeds by…

A, showing an analogy that medical professionals should not be susceptible to the fraudulent claims of those who market certain medical products

B. arguing against a hypothesis by showing that the hypothesis cannot account for the behavior of everyone

C. explaining the susceptibility of medical professionals to the fraudulent claims of those marketing certain medical products by casting doubt on the expertise of the professionals

D. arguing that since two groups are disanalogous in important respects, there must be different explanations for their similar behavior

E. arguing that an explanation should be accepted in spite of apparent evidence against it

D. arguing that since two groups are disanalogous in important respects, there must be different explanations for their similar behavior

Stimulus: A person who treats others well is more worthy of praise if this treatment is at least partially motivated by feelings of compassion than if it is entirely motivated by cold and dispassionate concern for moral obligation. This is so despite the fact that a person can choose to do what is morally right but cannot choose to have feelings.

Prompt: If the statements are true, then each of the following could be true except:

A. Only actions that are at least partially the result of a person’s feelings should be used in measuring the praiseworthiness of that person

B. If a person feels compassion toward the people affect by that person’s actions, yet these actions diminish the welfare of those people, that person does not deserve praise

C. Only what is subject to a person’s choice should be used in measuring the praiseworthiness of that person

D. Someone who acts without feelings of compassion toward those affected by the actions is worthy of praise if those actions enhance the welfare of the people affected

E. If someone wants to have compassion toward others but does not, that person is worthy of praise

Answer: C. Only what is subject to a person’s choice should be used in measuring the praiseworthiness of that person

Explanation:

-In Must Be False questions, the right answer generally contradicts a strong statement or inference in the stimulus.

-From the stimulus, we can infer that something out of our control (feelings) can make some actions more praiseworthy than others

-Anticipation: “feelings NEVER determine how praiseworthy something is,” acting out of compassion is NOT more praiseworthy than acting out of obligation,” “we can control our feelings”

Stimulus: Online shopping has significantly increased the options available to people with regard to thousands of products. A lot of people think that it’s always a good thing to have more options. But others are beginning to think that this might not be true. Having more options can make simple decisions, such as buying laundry detergent, more complicated than necessary, and thus lead to frustration.

Prompt: What is the primary structure of this passage?

A. Thesis

B. Antithesis

C. Synthesis

Answer: B. Antithesis

Explanation:

-The author presents two viewpoints: some people think more options is better, while others are beginning to think otherwise

-The author does not give any indication regarding which viewpoint they agree with

Stimulus:

Curator: The decision to restore the cloak of the central figure in Veronese’s painting from its present red to the green found underneath is fully justified. Reliable x-ray and chemical tests show that the red pigment was applied after the painting had been completed, and that the red paint was not mixed in Veronese’s workshop. Hence it appears likely that an artisit other than Veronese tampered with Veronese’s painting after its completion.

Art critic: But in a copy of Veronese’s painting made shortly after Veronese died, the cloak is red. It is highly unlikely that a copyist would have made so major a change so soon after Veronese’s death.

Prompt: The assertion that a later artist tampered with Veronese’s painting serves which one of the following functions in the curator’s argument?

A. It is the main point toward which the argument as a whole is directed

B. It is a subsidiary conclusion that supports the argument’s main conclusion

C. It is a clarification of a key term of the argument

D. It is a particular instance of the general position to be defended

E. It is a reiteration of the main point that is made for the sake of emphasis

Answer: B. It is a subsidiary conclusion that supports the argument’s main conclusion

-the main conclusion is that we should change the color of the cloak

-the idea that the color was tampered with provides support for that idea

-this statement is a subsidiary conclusion → supported by scientific data → supports the idea that something should be done about the tampering (“ought to do” statements are usually main conclusions)

Stimulus: Ted, a senior employee, believes he is underpaid and attempts to compensate by routinely keeping short hours, though it is obvious to everyone that he still makes some valuable, unique, and perhaps irreplaceable contributions. Tatiana, Ted’s supervisor, is aware of the deficit in Ted’s performance, and realizes other workers work harder than they should to make up for it. Nevertheless, Tatiana decides that she should not request that Ted be replaced.

Prompt: Which one of the following principles, if valid, would most help to justify Tatiana’s decision?

A. Supervisors should request that an employee be replaced only if they know that all the work done by that employee can be performed equally well by another employee

B. Employers should compensate all their employees in a way that is adequate in relation to the value of the contributions they make

C. Only someone with greater authority than a particular employee’s supervisor is entitled to decide whether that employee should be replaced

D. Workers in a work setting should regard themselves as jointly responsible for the work to be performed

E. An employee’s contributions in the workplace are not always a function of the time spent on the job

Answer: A. Supervisors should request that an employee be replaced only if they know that all the work done by that employee can be performed equally well by another employee

-not trying to PROVE that Ted is useful and unique (stated in stimulus)

-use that statement (with no other assumptions or things trying to prove it) to help justify Tatiana’s decision

Stimulus: Songwriters get much of the money they earn from their songs from each radio airplay. A hit song is played thousands of times, and the songwriter is paid for each play. Only a fraction of songwriters actually achieve a hit, however, and even fewer manage to write several. Writers of hit songs are often asked to write songs for movie soundtracks, but they sometimes decline, becasue although such songs frequently become hits, their writers receive single up front payments rather than continued revenues from radio airplay

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

A. any songwriter who recieves revenue from radio airplay has written a hit song

B. all songwriters who write songs for movie soundtracks have had their songs played ont he radio thousands of times

C. some songs written for movie soundtracks are played on the radio thousands of times

D. most songwriters prefer the possibility of continued income to single up front payments for their songs

E. some songwriters earn money solely from the radio airplay of their songs

Answer: C. some songs written for movie soundtracks are played on the radio thousands of times

-other answer choices are too strong

-some songs written for movies become hit songs → hit songs are played thousands of times → some songs written for movies are played on the radio thousands of times

Stimulus: One of the things lenders do in evaluating the risk of a potential borrower defaulting on a loan is to consider the potential borrower’s credit score. In general, the higher the credit score, the less risk of default. Yet for mortgage loans, the proportion of defaults is much higher for borrowers with the highest credit scores than for other borrowers

Prompt: Which of the following, if true, most helps to resolve the apparent discrepancy in the statements above?

A. Mortgage lenders are much less likely to consider risk factors other than credit score when evaluating borrowers with the highest credit scores

B. Credit scores reported to mortgage lenders are based on collections of data that sometimes include errors or omit relevant information

C. A potential borrower’s credit score is based in part on the potential borrower’s past history in paying off debts in full and on time

D. For most consumers, a mortgage is a much larger loan than any other loan the consumer obtains

Answer: A. Mortgage lenders are much less likely to consider risk factors other than credit score when evaluating borrowers with the highest credit scores

-trying to explain why people with the highest credit scores default on these loans MORE THAN other borrowers do

-mortgage loans + people with the highest credit scores (not just a general statement)

Stimulus: One should apologize only to a person one has wronged, and only for having wronged that person. To apologize sincerely is to acknowledge that one has acted wrongfully. One cannot apologize sincerely unless one intends not to repeat that wrongful act. To accept an apology sincrely is to acknowledge a wrong, but also to vow not to hold a grudge against the wrongdoer.

Prompt: The statements above, if true, most strongly support which one of the following?

A. If one apologizes and subsequently repeats the wrongful act for which one has apologized, then one has not apologized sincrely

B. One cannot sincrely accept an apology that was not sincrely offered

C. If one commits a wrongful act, then one should sincrely apologize for that act

D. An apology that cannot be sincerely accepted cannot be sincrely offered

E. An apology cannot be both sincrely offered and sincerely accepted unless each person acknowledges that a wrongful act has occurred

Answer: E. An apology cannot be both sincrely offered and sincerely accepted unless each person acknowledges that a wrongful act has occurred

apologize → wronged someone

sincre apology → acknowledge wrong and intend not to repeat

sincre accept → acknowledge wrong and not hold grudge

Stimulus: Neuroscientists subjected volunteers with amusia—difficulty telling different melodies apart and remembering simple tunes—to shifts in pitch comparable to those that occur when someone plays one piano key and then another. The volunteers were unable to discern a difference between the tones. But the volunteers were able to track timed sequences of musical tones and perceive slight changes in timing.

Prompt: The statements above, if true, most strongly support which one of the following hypotheses?

A. People who are unable to discern pitch compensate by developing a heightened perception of timing

B. Amusia results more from an inability to discern pitch than from an inability to discern timing

C. People who are unable to tell pitches apart in isolation are able to do so in the context of a melody by relying upon timing

D. The ability to tell melodies apart depends on the discernment of pitch alone and not at all on the perception of timing

E. Whereas perception of timing can apparently be learned, discernment of pitch is most likely innate

Answer: B. Amusia results more from an inability to discern pitch than from an inability to discern timing

Stimulus: Sanderson intentionally did not tell his cousin about overhearing someone say that the factory would close, knowing that if he witheld this information, his cousin would assume it would remain open. Clearly this was morally wrong. After all, lying is morally wrong. And making a statement with the intention of misleading someone is lying. True, it was Sanderson’s failing to state something that misled his cousin. Yet there is no moral difference between stating and failing to state if they are done with the same intention.

Prompt: Which one of the following is an assumption required by the argument?

A. Sanderson believed that his cousin would not want to be informed about the factory closing

B. No one ever told Sanderson’s cousin about the factory closing

C. Sanderson believed that the factory would in fact be closing

D. Sanderson would have lied to his cousin if his cousin had asked him whether the factory would be closing

E. Sanderson had something to gain by his cousin’s continuing to believe that the factory would remain open

Answer: C. Sanderson believed that the factory would in fact be closing

-looking for what is necessary

-if Sanderson did not intend to mislead (by believing the factory would be closing), then the argument falls apart

-this means that his intention to mislead is a necessary assumption

Stimulus: Numerous paintings and engravings representing warfare can be found in remains of all civilizations going back to and including the Neolithic period, when agriculture was first developed. However, no paintings or engravings of warfare are found dating from before the Neolithic period. Therefore, warfare must have first developed as a result of the transition to an agricultural society.

Prompt: Which one of the following is an assumption required by the argument?

A. Paintings and engravings were the dominant forms of artisitc expression during the Neolithic period

B. Warfare in the Neolithic period was always motivated by territorial disputes over agricultural land

C. There was no warfare prior to the period in which paintings and engravings of warfare were first created

D. Warfare is the inevitable result of the development of a civilization

E. Paintings and engravings of agricultural life began to be made at the same time as paintings and engravings of warfare

Answer: C. There was no warfare prior to the period in which paintings and engravings of warfare were first created

-the agrument is as follows: there were no representations of warfare prior to hte development of agriculture → therefore warfare must have developed as a result of transitioning to agriculture

-it is stated that there was no representation of warfare prior to the first agricultural steps

-for the argument to work, the assumption needs to be made that there was no warfare before the first representations of warfare

Stimulus:

Yu: The menu at Jason’s Restaurant states that no food served there contains products grown with chemical pesticides, but this cannot be true. I recently visited Kelly’s Grocery, where Jason goes personally to buy the restaurant’s produce, and I noticed workers unloading produce from a truck belonging to MegaFarm, which I know uses chemical pesticides on all of its crops.

Prompt: Which one of the following, if true, most undermines Yu’s claim?

A. Jason does not know that Kelly’s Grocery buys produce from MegaFarm

B. Jason buys ingredients from several suppliers besides Kelly’s Grocery, and those suppliers sell only products that are grown without chemical pesticides

C. At Kelly’s Grocery, most of the produce items that are grown without chemical pesticides carry a label to indicate that fact

D. None of the farms that supply produce to Kelly’s Grocery use any pesticide that has not been approved by the government as safe for use on food crops

E. Most people who buy produce at Kelly’s Grocery would never knowingly buy produce grown with any chemical pesticides

Answer: C. At Kelly’s Grocery, most of the produce items that are grown without chemical pesticides carry a label to indicate that fact

-Yu is claiming that Jason’s has products grown with pesticides because Yu saw Jason buying produce from Kelly’s Grocery AND the store unloading produce with pesticides

-Yu is assuming that Jason was buying MegaFarm’s products but Jason could’ve bought other produce from Kelly’s Grocery

Stimulus: If you study history, then you will appreciate the vast differences among past civilizations, and you will appreciate these diffrences provided that you reflect on your own civilization. Hence, if you study history you will reflect on your own civilization

Prompt: Which one of the following is most closely parallel in its flawed reasoning to the flawed reasoning in the argument above?

A. By studying ancient art you begin to appreciate how much was accomplished with limited materials. Appreciation of ancient art leads to a deeper understanding of modern art. Therefore, studying ancient art can engender a profound new appreciation for modern art

B. If you learn Latin, you can improve your vocabulary, and you can improve your vocabulary if you study great works of literature. So you will study great works of literature if you learn Latin

C. Traveling to other countries deepens one’s appreciation for their cultures, and this appreciation often encourages one to study the history of those lands. So the study of history increses one’s desire to travel

D. Studying hard while in school helps you to internalize good habits that will serve you well in the working world, and you will retain those good habits if you maintain a positive mental attitude toward study. So diligent study in school improves the chance of success in the workplace

E. One can become informed about the world provided that one reads the newspaper daily. If one is informed about the world, then one has an appreciation of other cultures. So if one reads the newspaper daily, then one can come to appreciate other cultures

Answer: B. If you learn Latin, you can improve your vocabulary, and you can improve your vocabulary if you study great works of literature. So you will study great works of literature if you learn Latin

-the conditional logic of the stimulus follows:

if study history → then appreciate vast differences

if reflect on own civilization → appreciate vast differences

therefore, if study history → reflect on own civilization

-the conditional logic of the answer follows:

learn Latin → can improve vocab

if study great works → can improve vocab

therefore, if learn Latin → study great works

Stimulus: A successful chess-playing computer would prove either that a machine can think or that chess does not involve thinking. In either case the conception of human intelligence would surely change.

Prompt: The reasoning above is most vulnerable to criticism on the grounds that it does not consider the possibility that…

A. the conception of intelligence is inextricably linked to that of thought

B. a truly successful chess program may never be invented

C. computer programs have been successfully applied to games other than chess

D. a successful chess-playing computer would not model a human approach to chess playing

E. the inability to play chess has more to do with lack of opportunity than with lack of intelligence

Answer: D. a successful chess-playing computer would not model a human approach to chess playing

-the author assumes there is a link between the model and human intelligence

Stimulus: A study of people who had recently recovered from colds found that people who took cold medicine for their colds reported more severe symptoms than those people who took cold medicine for their colds reported more severe symptoms than those people who did not take cold medicine. Therefore, taking cold medicine is clearly counterproductive.

Prompt: The reasoning in the advocate’s argument is flawed becasue the argument…

A. treats something as true simply becasue most people believe it to be true

B. treats some people as experts in an area in which there is no reason to take them to be reliable sources of information

C. takes somethign to be true in one case just becasue it is true in most cases

D. rests on a confusion between what is required for a particular outcome and what is sufficient to cause that outcome

E. confuses what is likely the cause of something for an effect of that thing

Answer: E. confuses what is likely the cause of something for an effect of that thing

-this argument is not based on conditional logic (answer choice D is out)

-worse symptoms are likely to be the CAUSE of people taking the medicine, not the effect