LR Question 18 Explanation
QUESTION TEXT: Moderate exercise lowers the risk of blockage of the…
QUESTION TYPE: Sufficient Assumption
CONCLUSION: Moderate exercise lowers the risk of blood clots.
REASONING: If a recent study is correct….etc. a chain of reasoning is presented that exercise lowers blood clots.
ANALYSIS: This is almost a trick question. The argument presents the following chain of reasoning:
Lower cholesterol ➞ less hardening arteries ➞ lower risk of arterial blockage.
And then it tells us that a study shows that exercise lowers cholesterol, if the data are correct. That information would let us reach our conclusion, if we knew the study was accurate. But the study might be wrong!
The right answer simply tells us the data are correct.
___________
- It doesn’t matter what the study investigated. It’s only important to know what the results let us prove.
- This doesn’t help us prove that exercise is a way to prevent clots.
- This doesn’t help us establish that exercise can help with cholesterol. (we’re not sure if the study is correct)
- CORRECT. If the study is correct then everything else falls into place.
- We already know this is true.
More Resources for Sufficient Assumption Questions
- Conditional Reasoning Article: Learn about conditional statements.
- LR Diagrams Guide: Learn how to draw LR diagrams.
- Intro to Conditional Reasoning: Learn conditional reasoning basics.
- Intro Course lesson: This intro course lesson covers Sufficient Assumption questions.
- Mastery Seminar lesson: This LR Mastery seminar lesson covers sufficient assumption questions.
[ ; and if the data… ]. this is the 3d Premise that supports the conclusion that is the first sentence. This 3d premise needs to be plugged in the Conclusion in order for the Conclusion to be guaranteed. Is this a correct thinking?
Thanks!
Pretty much. The argument’s logic is airtight, except we don’t know if the data is correct. If it is, then the argument works. This is about as close to a trick question as the LSAT gets.