LSAT Logical Reasoning › Determining which answer most weakens the argument
Historically, there has been little need for the law to directly protect privacy rights. Before the internet was widely used, trespassing laws prohibited violations of privacy within homes. The internet, however, has changed everything. Now, companies monitor the websites people visit and sell data gathered about individuals. While some economic benefits accompany these intrusions, privacy interests are sacrificed. New laws are needed to address modern privacy concerns.
Which of the following, if true, most weakens the argument?
Current trespass laws prohibit companies from monitoring the websites people visit and selling data gathered about individuals
Individuals, in addition to companies, monitor the websites people visit
Historically, trespass laws that prohibit violations of privacy have often been ignored
Without the ability to monitor the use of websites, many popular websites would not be able to function
Those who use the internet are generally unaware that companies monitor the websites people visit and sell data collected about individuals
The argument claims that trespass laws once prohibited violations of privacy but are now inadequate because of new types of privacy violations. The argument is directly undermined if trespass laws prohibit both old and modern privacy violations. There would no longer seem to be a need for new laws.
Baseball has undergone a revolution in the past two decades, thanks to the introduction of advanced analytical methods. Baseball executives began applying statistical analysis to their decision-making progress, and the teams that first jumped on this bandwagon have been the most successful teams in recent years. Traditional baseball executives are a dying breed, and those that have lasted have been forced to adopt the new methods.
Which one of the following, if true, most weakens the argument?
"Traditional baseball executives" have won more games than "advanced analytic" executives over the past five seasons.
Advanced statistical analysts often have strong disagreements over what provides the most value in baseball.
Traditional forms of analysis won championships in baseball for years before the introduction of advanced statistical analysis.
Certain baseball executives have argued that "advanced analytical methods" should include more than statistical analysis.
The precepts of "advanced statistical analysis" in baseball have not been taken up at the college or high-school levels of the game.
The argument is that "advanced statistical analysis" has generally taken over in most baseball front offices, killing off the "traditional methods." If it is true that the executives who have been most successful recently, which is defined by winning the most games, are the ones who follow "traditional" methods, then the overall argument is considerably weakened.
Coffee allows people to stay awake, when they would otherwise have had to go to sleep, because of its caffeine content. According to several recent studies, people who drink coffee actually go to sleep earlier than people who drink no coffee. Therefore, coffee actually makes people go to sleep.
The strongest criticism of the argument is that it:
Fails to consider other factors which might make someone drink coffee yet also go to sleep early.
Claims something is true without scientific evidence of the proof of it’s factual truth.
Cites several studies that are inconsistent with its conclusion.
Assumes caffeine is present in all coffee.
Concludes that people who do not drink coffee are not drinking other beverages which provide them with a source of caffeine.
There are facts in this problem which are intended to throw you off. The caffeine in coffee in this case does not matter. The studies only concluded that people who drink coffee go to sleep earlier than people who do not drink coffee. The problem does not state why, it could be that people who drink coffee are avoiding the higher caffeine content of energy drinks that everyone else drinks or it could be something else. That coffee makes people go to sleep is never stated as a fact. A causal relationship between coffee and sleep was never established.
Cell phone technology has progressed more quickly than almost anyone could have predicted. Only fifteen years ago was it even conceivable that handheld devices might be able to both store large amounts of data and access the internet. Yet, just a few years later, cell phones accomplish both of these things and are readily accessible to the public. While technology usually advances at predictable, moderate speed, advancements during some periods are so rapid as to be truly remarkable. The development of the cell phone provides an example of just such a time.
Which of the following, if true, most weakens the argument?
Although cell phone capabilities changed drastically over the last fifteen years, the technology behind the changes developed at a predictable, moderate speed
Stages of rapid development have occurred periodically for at least four centuries
Cell phones are not readily accessible, even now, in many parts of the world
Modern cell phones have often been used to commit sophisticated financial crimes that were previously impossible
Cell phones that cannot access the internet are still used
The key assertion of the argument is that cell phone development illustrates a phenomenon of rapid technological development. This assertion is directly undermined if cell phone technology actually developed at predictable, moderate speeds.
Professor: I cannot agree with the common sentiment that there should be fewer math requirements for children. While few children will directly use math for their careers, studying math strengthens important skills. Through math classes, children learn to follow complex instructions, reason, and confirm results. These skills are valuable for life and careers. Besides, most other subjects that children learn are also only indirectly useful.
Which of the following, if true, most weakens the argument?
Children learn to follow complex instructions, reason, and confirm results from subjects other than math
Most employers do not require employees to have strong math skills
Most employers do not require employees to follow complex instructions or confirm results
Those who support reducing math requirements usually advocate reducing requirements for other subjects as well
Some skills are more important for life and careers than following complex instructions, reasoning, and confirming results
The professor suggests that math requirements should not be reduced because math teaches children three particular skills. The professors argument is severely weakened if other subjects also teach children those skills.
Microwaves heat objects by exciting the molecules, causing them to move faster. However, microwaves are larger than the size of an ant. Therefore, an ant is not affected by microwaves and can survive exposure to them while most other animals would be killed by such exposure.
Which of the following, if true, would most seriously weaken the conclusion of the argument?
The fact that microwaves are larger than an ant does not prevent the waves from entering them.
Although microwaves excite molecules, the extent to which this causes objects to heat up depends largely on their water content.
Ants are naturally resistant to external forces due to their hearty exterior.
There are many other animals that are also resistant to microwaves because they are smaller than the microwave itself.
Not all ants are capable of surviving exposure to microwaves.
In order to see what statement would weaken the reasoning, we should look more closely at the reasoning in the excerpt:
"Microwaves heat objects by exciting the molecules, causing them to move faster. However, microwaves are larger than the size of an ant. Therefore, an ant is not affected by microwaves . . . "
The correct answer choice introduces information that disrupts the conclusion. If microwaves can enter an ant, it would in fact affect them, and thereby overturn the conclusion.
The statement in the correct answer most closely relates to the chain of logic. The incorrect answer choices are too tangentially related to the chain of logic to be correct.
The horrors of World War I have been blamed on many of the generals who commanded the armies in the trenches that became so prevalent in that conflict. While it is often said that generals fight the last war, the leaders arguing for bayonet charges into the teeth of a machine gun nest seemed to be unable to see the current war. Trench warfare was unable to be won through Napoleonic tactics, which was sadly proven beyond a shadow of a doubt in the Great War.
Which of the following statements would most weaken the argument presented in the statement?
Many generals in World War I began arguing against charges into machine gun nests.
Training for soldiers at the beginning of World War I heavily featured bayonet training.
The military academy education of World War I generals was largely based on Napoleonic tactics.
The use of trenches radically transformed military strategy and tactics.
World War I saw a number of generals take command of the armies with little success.
The passage argues that the unsuccessful tactics of World War I, including bayonet charges into machine gun nests, were largely due to the generals in the war not understanding the problems with these tactics. If many generals were in fact arguing the utility of such tactics, then the argument would be seriously weakened.
Students who study for fewer than 30 minutes a day score an average of 60 on the final exam. Students who study between 30 minutes and 1 hour a day score an average of 65. Students who study between 1 and 2 hours a day score an average of 75. Students who study more than 3 hours a day score an average of 85. Therefore, the more a student studies, the higher the student is likely to score on the final exam.
Which of the following, if true, most weakens the argument above?
Students who studied between 2 and 3 hours a day scored an average of 70.
One student studied 45 minutes a day and scored an 85.
The sample size for the study was only 25 students.
No student studied more than 4 hours a day.
Students who study longer tend to be more disciplined.
If students who studied between 2 and 3 hours a day averaged a final score of 70, they would average a lower score than students who studied only between 1 and 2 hours a day. This would directly contradict the argument offered that the more a student studies, the higher that student scores. The fact that one student studied 45 minutes a day and scored an 85 would also weaken the argument, but not as much as the correct answer choice. One student is more likely to be an outlier than the average of all students studying between 2 and 3 hours a day. Even if the latter is a small group of students, the group would be greater than one.
It appears that warm temperatures tend to improve both productivity and attitudes. Empirical evidence supports the general assumption that outdoor temperatures affect the way people feel and, perhaps as a result, the amount they get done. These conclusions are drawn from a recent study which found that when temperatures increase at the beginning of spring people are more likely to smile, make more money than in the winter, greet strangers, and report that they are content with their lives.
Which of the following, if true, most weakens the argument?
People are less happy and productive in the fall than in the winter, even though temperatures are warmer in the fall
People are happier and more productive at the beginning and end of the spring than they are during the winter
People who greet strangers and smile are happier than those who do not
People more often take vacations during the spring than they do during the winter
Those who have recently begun to make more money than previously, are more likely to smile and greet strangers than those who have not
The argument claims that warm temperatures improve productivity and attitudes. The argument depends on the results of a study and the study is undermined if people are happier and make more money in the fall than they do in the winter. If this fact were true, then the study results might be caused by something other than temperature differences.
Health coach: It is well-documented that mental stress often leads to temporary reduction in the immune system’s effectiveness. But recent studies have gone even further. These studies show that mental stress can actually permanently damage the immune system, thus leaving a person permanently vulnerable to disease and illness. So, it is now clear that purely mental states can permanently alter the body’s functioning, which proves that human beings are more than mere biological machines.
Which one of the following would, if true, most weaken the health coach’s argument?
Bodily exhaustion that leads to a weakening of the immune system generally makes a person susceptible to experiencing mental stress.
Those who are susceptible to mental stress are more likely to get sick.
Vitamins that boost the immune system’s effectiveness can also help individuals manage their stress levels.
People with weakened immune systems who meditate regularly tend to manage their stress levels more effectively than those who do not meditate regularly.
Those who chronically experience high levels of mental stress tend to expose themselves to toxic environments, which can lead to illness and disease.
The health coach is making a causation argument: One’s mental state can alter the functioning of one’s body. A classic way to undermine a causation argument is to show that the causation actually runs in the opposite direction. The correct answer choice here does precisely that. It reverses the “mind influences body” claim with the counter-assertion that “body influences mind.” That is to say, it states that the functioning of the body (i.e., bodily exhaustion) can affect mental states (i.e. mental stress). The answer choice involving exposure to toxic environments somewhat weakens the health coach’s claim, but it is a rather mild form of weakening, so it is not the best choice here.