PrepTest 130
[lcid:3619] Prep Test 130 LSAT — Logical Reasoning — S4
Logical reasoning
Question prompt
Nutritionists believe that a
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.
Question Type
Weaken Questions
Answer choices
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AEven five servings of Remaining source text redacted.
Why choice A is not credited
Incorrect. Increasing the group that needs to take vitamin pills to include some who do eat enough servings of fruits/veggies won't weaken a conclusion about people needing to take vitamin pills. -
BCertain commonly available fruits Remaining source text redacted.
Why choice B is not credited
Incorrect. Great trap answer! This answer is trying to get you to think that people might be able to meet their requirements by eating fewer servings of these commonly available super-fruits. However, first, this answer is about nutrients, not vitamins. And second, even if it were about vitamins, the answer doesn't establish that there are enough additional nutrients in the super-fruits to make up for the "far less" than five servings most people eat. -
CNutritionists sometimes disagree on Remaining source text redacted.
Why choice C is not credited
Incorrect. The disagreement noted here could be minimal differences that aren't nearly enough to account for the "far less" fruits/veggies eaten by most people. -
DMany commonly consumed foods Remaining source text redacted.
Why choice D matches the stem
Correct. Argument or Facts:
Argument
Valid or Flawed:
Flawed
Question Type:
Weaken
Stimulus Summary:
Vitamin requirements can be met with 5 servings of fruits/veggies, but most people don't eat that many, so most need vitamin pills.
Answer Anticipation:
This argument is all about ensuring that you get your necessary vitamins. One route? Eating 5 servings of fruits/veggies each day. However, the stimulus notes that most people don't hit this target, so they'll need to get their "daily requirement" of vitamins elsewhere. That alternative source is then concluded to be vitamin pills—something that most people will "need" to take.
That's a strong conclusion, though, and it treats vitamin pills as the only source of vitamins other than fruits/veggies. However, it never establishes that other sources don't exist, so any answer choice that brings that up—or brings up a specific alternative source of vitamins that could preclude the need to take a pill—would undermine this conclusion.
Answer Explanation:
This answer highlights a place where people may get the necessary vitamins outside of fruits, veggies, and vitamin supplements. If manufacturers put vitamins in other foods, then one could eat far fewer than the recommended servings of fruits/veggies and still get enough vitamins without resorting to vitamin pills.
Key Takeaway:
Strong conclusions need strong premises to back them up. And recommendations should make you think about alternatives. Here, the conclusion makes a recommendation about something that people "need" to do without backing up that there aren't alternatives. -
EFruits and vegetables are Remaining source text redacted.
Why choice E is not credited
Incorrect. The argument is about vitamins, so fiber is out of scope.
What this tests
Discussion
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General Principle? 0 replies
Started by mstabilej
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Why is C wrong? 2 replies
Started by Raheel
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Why is A correct? 1 reply
Started by emilydemmer