PrepTest 155
[lcid:3719] Prep Test 155 LSAT — Logical Reasoning — S4
Logical reasoning
Question prompt
Researcher: Consumption of turmeric,
Remaining source text redacted.
Why the credited answer is right
Credited answer: E
The notes below walk through why it fits the stem and how to eliminate the rest.
Question Type
Strengthen Questions
Answer choices
-
AEven before analyzing the Remaining source text redacted.
Why choice A is not credited
Incorrect. If anything, this introduces a bias into the study that could call it into question. -
BHighly educated residents of Remaining source text redacted.
Why choice B is not credited
Incorrect. If anything, this weakens the argument by suggesting an alternative cause—it's not the curry, it's the education. -
CMost Singapore residents who Remaining source text redacted.
Why choice C is not credited
Incorrect. What matters is the relationship between curry and cognition, not how many people this impacts. -
DSingapore residents, on a Remaining source text redacted.
Why choice D is not credited
Incorrect. If we had information linking all Singaporeans to less cognitive decline, then this answer would be in play. However, we don't have that information, so this answer is out of scope. -
EIndian curries generally contain Remaining source text redacted.
Why choice E matches the stem
Correct. Argument or Facts:
Argument
Valid or Flawed:
Flawed
Question Type:
Strengthen
Stimulus Summary:
People who ate a lot of curry (which has turmeric) tend to have higher cognitive test scores (especially in one particular group), so turmeric probably slows cognitive decline.
Answer Anticipation:
This argument has a correlation vs. causation flaw—while turmeric and cognitive strength are correlated, they're not necessarily causally related. To strengthen this relationship, we should look for an answer that rules out an alternative cause, provides more examples of turmeric and cognition going together, or a "control" example where a lack of turmeric is associated with cognitive decline.
Answer Explanation:
This answer choice creates a stronger correlation, which, while not proving causation, does strengthen that relationship. If there's more turmeric consumed in a population that has particularly strong cognitive function, that strengthens the relationship between the two.
Key Takeaway:
While it's a flaw to jump from correlation to causation, it's also true that correlations strengthen causation. After all, if two things aren't correlated, they're probably not causally related.