Logical reasoning PrepTest 148 · Section 1 · Question 17

Incorrect. The argument isn't about the ease of catching fish but rather where it's best to catch them because of where they're located. It could be just as easy to catch lake trout in winter and summer, as long as you're fishing in the right place.

Incorrect. This answer is too science-y for us! The stimulus notes where the cold water is located in the lake, so there's no need to get into the science of it.

Incorrect. The conclusion is about anglers fishing in deep temperate lakes, not that anglers should fish in those lakes, or must exclusively fish in those lakes, so there's no assumption that these fish don't live in other lakes.

Incorrect. Their feeding habits don't matter; their location does.

Correct. Argument or Facts:
Argument

Valid or Flawed:
Flawed

Question Type:
Strengthen with Necessary Premise

Stimulus Summary:
In certain lakes, cold water is on top in winter and bottom in summer, with it switching ("turnover") in the fall and late winter. Trout are found in the cold water, so anglers should fish close to the surface if they want to catch trout in late winter.

Answer Anticipation:
This stimulus goes into a lot of depth (pun intended) about the timeline of all of these changes. Specifically relevant to the conclusion is the note about when the "turnovers" happen—in fall, and then in late winter.

In fall, the "turnover" happens from summer (cold water at bottom) to winter (cold water at top). Then, in late winter, the opposite happens—the cold water goes from the top to the bottom of the lakes. The conclusion here is talking about fishing at the surface of the lakes, so it's assuming that the lakes are still in winter mode. However, since the turnover happens in late winter, and the conclusion is about late winter, the argument's assuming that this turnover hasn't yet happened.

Answer Explanation:
This answer gets at the timeline assumption made in the argument. If the "turnover" has occurred in deep temperate lakes that have ice residues on the surface, then the lake is in summer mode, the cold water is at the bottom of the lake, and so are the trout.

Key Takeaway:
Timelines are frequently key on the LSAT. When an argument is discussing the specifics of when things happen, pay attention and make sure you're tracking it through the argument.