Logical reasoning PrepTest 140 · Section 2 · Question 11

Incorrect. While the argument does draw an unwarranted generalization, it's about the temperatures, not the fruits. The conclusion is specifically about "these" varieties of fruits.

Incorrect. The stimulus notes that the fruits were stored at different temperatures but "similar conditions," thus controlling for those other factors.

Correct. Argument or Facts:
Argument

Valid or Flawed:
Flawed

Question Type:
Errors in Reasoning

Stimulus Summary:
Fruit stored at 10 degrees stayed fresher longer than fruit at 20 degrees, which stayed fresher longer than fruit at 30 degrees, so the colder these fruits are stored, the longer they'll last.

Answer Anticipation:
The argument draws a very broad conclusion about how long fruit will stay fresh (relatively) at all temperatures, but it only ran an experiment at 3 different temperatures. Maybe this relationship holds in the narrow range of 10-30 degrees, but it changes up once you go lower or higher. In drawing such a broad (and certain) conclusion off of three data points, the argument is drawing a flawed generalization.

Answer Explanation:
This answer highlights the unwarranted generalization. The science class looked at three temperatures and then generalized to all temperatures. They'd need to do a lot more experimentation at a much wider variety of temperatures to justify such a broad generalization.

Key Takeaway:
General conclusions need substantial proof to support them. Here, the conclusion was about the entire spectrum of temperatures, but it was based on information about 3 temperatures. That's way too narrow a sample to draw such a broad generalization!

Incorrect. Unless there's a specific reason to doubt the reliability of the equipment used, this answer will never be correct on the LSAT. Specifically here, the stimulus notes that the experiment was carried out at these temperatures, not that the students reported that they were carried out at the specific temperatures or the thermometer "read" at certain temperatures.

Incorrect. The results are the results, and they don't need an explanation. Relationships can be true even if they're not understood.