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Test Prep LSAT Test Exam
Law School Admission Test: Logical Reasoning, Reading Comprehension, Analytical Reasoning (Page 50 )

Updated On: 19-Jan-2026
Page 37 of 188
PDF with 934 Questions

Twelve healthy volunteers with the Apo-A-IV-1 gene and twelve healthy volunteers who instead have the Apo- A-IV-2 gene each consumed a standard diet supplemented daily by a high-cholesterol food. A high level of cholesterol in the blood is associated with an increased risk of heart disease. After three weeks, the blood cholesterol levels of the subjects in the second group were unchanged, whereas the blood cholesterol levels of those with the Apo-A-IV-1 gene rose 20 percent.

Which one of the following is most strongly supported by the information above?

  1. Approximately half the population carries a gene that lowers cholesterol levels.
  2. Most of those at risk of heart disease may be able to reduce their risk by adopting a low-cholesterol diet.
  3. The bodies of those who have the Apo-A-IV-2gene excrete cholesterol when blood cholesterol reaches a certain level.
  4. The presence of the Apo-A-IV-1 gene seems to indicate that a person has a lower risk of heart disease.
  5. The presence of the Apo-A-IV-2 gene may inhibit the elevation of blood cholesterol.

Answer(s): E

Explanation:

Here's an Inference question based on a scientific study. The only thing that the study points to is that there is a difference in having the "IV-1" gene, as opposed to the "IV-2" gene. In the study, where other possible complicating factors were controlled, the results pointed to a positive effect of gene IV-2. choice [The presence of the Apo-A-IV-2 gene may...], in appropriately qualified language, expresses information "most strongly supported" that "may" be true. On the basis of the results, it is reasonable to conclude E., that IV-2 may inhibit cholesterol.



High school students who feel that they are not succeeding in school often drop out before graduating and go to work. Last year, however, the city's high school dropout rate was significantly lower than the previous year's rate. This is encouraging evidence that the program instituted two years ago to improve the morale of high school students has begun to take effect to reduce dropouts.

Which one of the following, if true about the last year, most seriously weakens the argument?

  1. There was a recession that caused a high level of unemployment in the city.
  2. The morale of students who dropped out of high school had been low even before they reached high school.
  3. As in the preceding year, more high school students remained in school than dropped out.
  4. High schools in the city established placement offices to assist their graduates in obtaining employment.
  5. The antidropout program was primarily aimed at improving students' morale in those high schools with the highest dropout rates.

Answer(s): A

Explanation:

After reading the question stem, we know to look for something that "if true about the last year," weakens the author's argument. The author's conclusion, stated in the last sentence, is that the program instituted two years ago has reduced the dropout rate. That's certainly possible, since there's a reasonable connection between morale and dropout rates, but is this argument really airtight? No. The author has assumed a causal relationship between the program and the dropout Rate but it's our job to weaken that connection. As is often the case with Weaken questions, an alternative explanation could be responsible for the change observed.
Option [There was a recession that caused a...] suggests that last year there was a recession with high unemployment. With a high level of unemployment, high school students couldn't expect to drop out and simply "go to work." So it's possible that the recession, and not the program, kept kids in school.



The television show Henry was not widely watched until it was scheduled for Tuesday evenings immediately after That's Life, the most popular show on television. During the year after the move, Henry was consistently one of the ten most-watched shows on television. Since Henry's recent move to Wednesday evenings, however, it has been watched by far fewer people. We must conclude that Henry was widely watched before the move to Wednesday evenings because it followed That's Life and not because people especially liked it.

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

  1. Henry has been on the air for three years, but That's Life has been on the air for only two years.
  2. The show that replaced Henry on Tuesdays has persistently had a low number of viewers in the Tuesday time slot.
  3. The show that now follows That's Life on Tuesdays has double the number of viewers it had before being moved.
  4. After its recent move to Wednesday, Henry was aired at the same time as the second most popular show on television.
  5. That's Life was not widely watched during the first year it was aired.

Answer(s): C

Explanation:

Henry was a bomb until piggybacked with the popular That's Life. Then Henry became popular. Then it was moved to another night and began to tank again. The author's conclusion is the obvious one that Henry's sudden Tuesday night success can be attributed to its following That's Life and not to any merits of its own.
Anything that reinforces this general pattern would help strengthen the argument. If option [The show that now follows That's Life on...] is true, and the new show following That's Life has suddenly doubled its ratings, then it seems even more reasonable to believe that the factor governing Henry's popularity was its proximity to That's Life, as the author maintains.



Joseph: My encyclopedia says that the mathematician Pierre de Fermat died in 1665 without leaving behind any written proof for a theorem that he claimed nonetheless to have proved. Probably this alleged theorem simply cannot be proved, since ­ as the article points out ­ no one else has been able to prove it. Therefore, it is likely that Fermat was either lying or else mistaken when he made his claim. Laura: Your encyclopedia is out of date. Recently someone has in fact proved Fermat's theorem. And since the theorem is provable, your claim ­ that Fermat was lying or mistaken ­ clearly is wrong.

Joseph's statement that "this alleged theorem simply cannot be proved" plays which one of the following roles in his argument?

  1. an assumption for which no support is offered
  2. a subsidiary conclusion on which his argument's main conclusion is based
  3. a potential objection that his argument anticipates and attempts to answer before it is raised
  4. the principal claim that his argument is structured to refute
  5. background information that neither supports nor undermines his argument's conclusion

Answer(s): B

Explanation:

We get a chance at two questions for this dialogue stimulus; let's scan them before we read the stimulus. A Method of Argument question, asks us for the role played by a statement of Joseph, and a Flaw question, asks us to identify a flaw in Laura's argument. Joseph introduces us to Fermat, and tells us that Fermat was lying or wrong in claiming to have proved the theorem. Laura responds that the theorem has been recently proved and, so, Fermat was not lying or wrong about having proved the theorem. Joseph's statement that "this alleged theorem . . ." is a conclusion of his argument, but not his overall main point. This statement is supported by the evidence that immediately follows it ­ that no one else has proved it. The use of that evidence to support the statement in question makes it a conclusion, but not the main conclusion. Joseph's main conclusion is that Fermat was either lying or wrong, which is supported by his statement that the theorem cannot be proved.
Choice [a subsidiary conclusion on which his...] states just that.



Joseph: My encyclopedia says that the mathematician Pierre de Fermat died in 1665 without leaving behind any written proof for a theorem that he claimed nonetheless to have proved. Probably this alleged theorem simply cannot be proved, since ­ as the article points out ­ no one else has been able to prove it. Therefore, it is likely that Fermat was either lying or else mistaken when he made his claim. Laura: Your encyclopedia is out of date. Recently someone has in fact proved Fermat's theorem. And since the theorem is provable, your claim ­ that Fermat was lying or mistaken ­ clearly is wrong.

Which one of the following most accurately describes a reasoning error in Laura's argument?

  1. It purports to establish its conclusion by making a claim that, if true, would actually contradict that conclusion.
  2. It mistakenly assumes that the quality of a person's character can legitimately be taken to guarantee the accuracy of the claims that person has made.
  3. It mistakes something that is necessary for its conclusion to follow for something that ensures that the conclusion follows.
  4. It uses the term "provable" without defining it.
  5. It fails to distinguish between a true claim that has mistakenly been believed to be false and a false claim that has mistakenly been believed to be true.

Answer(s): C

Explanation:

Laura's evidence is that someone has proved the theorem, and her conclusion is that Fermat was not lying nor mistaken. She assumes that because the theorem has now been proven, Fermat must have also proved it. For her conclusion to be correct that Fermat was not lying or mistaken, it is necessary that the theorem be proved,

but the fact that someone has proved the theorem isn't sufficient to make her case. With all due respect to Fermat, the fact that someone else has proved the theorem does not necessarily mean that Fermat has.
Choice [mistakes something that is necessary for its...] identifies the necessary/sufficient flaw in Laura's argument.



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