PrepTest 127

[lcid:3604] Prep Test 127 LSAT — Logical Reasoning — S1 Logical reasoning

Question prompt

Many newborn babies have Remaining source text redacted.
Why the credited answer is right

Credited answer: D

The notes below walk through why it fits the stem and how to eliminate the rest.

Argument or Facts

Argument

Valid or Flawed

Flawed

Question Type

Strengthen Questions

Stimulus Summary

Newborns sometimes have high bilirubin levels, which can cause tetanus if it enters the brain. Some docs therefore remove it, whereas others leave it because the brain can protect itself.

Answer Anticipation

This stimulus features two groups of doctors, each recommending a course of action incompatible with the other, so we need to know which group the question stem is asking about. There, it talks about the second group of doctors - the ones who want to leave bilirubin in the body.
So we need to find an answer that strengthens leaving bilirubin over removing it. Based on the information in the stimulus, it does seem as if removing it is better - there’s no listed benefit to leaving it, and it risks tetanus if the brain can’t protect itself as it “normally” does.
In order to swing the pendulum in the other direction, then, we need a reason that leaving it would be better than “playing it safe” with respect to tetanus and removing it. Maybe the removal process itself is more dangerous than tetanus, or the bilirubin provides some benefit to the newborns.

Answer choices

  1. A
    The treatment that most Remaining source text redacted.
    Why choice A is not credited
    This answer establishes that there aren’t known downsides to removing the bilirubin, but there is a known upside, so this would support the first groups of doctors.
  2. B
    Some diseases that occur Remaining source text redacted.
    Why choice B is not credited
    This provides a reason to remove the bilirubin, thus supporting the first group.
  3. C
    In newborns the pigment Remaining source text redacted.
    Why choice C is not credited
    This doesn’t speak to the safety or benefits of removing it versus leaving it, so it’s out of scope.
  4. D
    Bilirubin neutralizes certain potentially Remaining source text redacted.
    Why choice D matches the stem
    This answer provides a benefit of leaving bilirubin in the newborns, despite the risk of tetanus - it protects the newborns from other potentially damaging substances. In providing a benefit of leaving the bilirubin in, this answer strengthens the view of the second group recommending doing just that.
  5. E
    Among doctors who recommend Remaining source text redacted.
    Why choice E is not credited
    This answer is about the first group, not the second, and it doesn’t speak to the safety of removal or leaving it in. (If anything, it would suggest that the removal decision is standardized based on medical consensus, which would strengthen the argument for doing so.)

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