LSAT 144 | Section 4 | Logical Reasoning: Q7

LR Question 7 Explanation

QUESTION TEXT: Dietitian: Eating fish can lower one’s cholesterol…

QUESTION TYPE: Role in Argument

CONCLUSION: Eating fish can lower cholesterol.

REASONING: Two groups had similar cholesterol levels. The two groups then ate a similar diet, except one group had two servings of fish per week. The fish group had lower cholesterol at the end.

ANALYSIS: On role in argument questions, you are not supposed to be critical. You just need to figure out what the author is saying, and why. Then check what statement you’re being asked about, and decide how to describe its role.

The author says that the two groups had similar cholesterol in order to establish that the two groups were similar at the start, and any divergence was likely due to the fish.

___________

1. Nonsense. The statement supports the argument by showing the two groups are equal.
2. No, the first sentence is the conclusion.
3. CORRECT. The alternate explanation would have been “What if the first group already had lower cholesterol at the beginning?” By eliminating this, we can be more confident that fish actually caused the difference.
4. No, the prior cholesterol readings were more than neutral background information.
   Example of answer: Scientists are trying to determine how to reduce heart disease via diet, and so commissioned a study investigating fish’s effect on cholesterol.
5. What alternate explanation? None was presented.