LSAT Logical Reasoning Practice Test 2

Physician: A recent study shows that running on a regular basis, even for 10 minutes a day, can reduce the risk of heart disease or stroke by forty-five percent. Research also shows that sixty-five percent of people who have diabetes die of heart disease of stroke. So, diabetics who run regularly can significantly decrease their risk of dying from a heart problem.

Which of the following, if true, would most seriously weaken the argument?

Scientist: Some scientists claim that the primary reason cats’ tongues are barbed is because the barbs help clients pull the meat away from the bones of the cats’ prey. However, this claim is incorrect. Cats have barbed tongues to enable them to better groom their fine hair. The barbs bull the strands of hair apart and allow cats to add extra moisture to their coats, giving them a kempt, more aesthetically pleasing appearance to possible mates.

Which one of the following is an assumption required by the argument above?

People who learn to be outgoing and social are often more successful than introverts. Outgoing people are more successful because they go to numerous social events in which they make strong connections with other people and are able to leverage their connections in the business environment. Alternatively, introverts do not have as many opportunities to make new connections in the business environment.

This reasoning in this argument is flawed in that this argument:

Residents of the city of Altopia lto were recently alarmed to hear that the crime rate had skyrocketed in recent months. In response, a group of concerned Altopians contacted the mayor to voice their opinions. The mayor attempted to assuage the peoples’ fears by informing everyone that the crime rate had not actually increased. The mayor contended that the purchase of new police scanners and other high-tech crime fighting technology had caused a false spike in the crime rate.

Which of the following, if true, would most strengthen the reasoning in the mayor’s argument?

Many low-income communities also tend to have high crime rates. Some people mistakenly associate the high levels of crime and poverty as two phenomenon that feed off of each other—the crime occurs because people are poor, and people remain poor because of frequent, expensive interactions with law enforcement. Crime and poverty do feed off of each other to an extent, but crime and poverty are more so a side-effect of inadequate education systems—when young people do not receive a good education, they do not have the means necessary to attain better-paying jobs; without jobs that can pay the bills, people remain poor, and very poor people often result to crime to make money.

The statements above, if true, most strongly support which one of the following?

The city of Zabadoo recently discovered that the precious golden minnows native to the area are endangermed. The golden minnows, which can only be found in Zabadoo, are an important tourist attraction that bring people to the town every year. Tourists come to see the lakes and rivers turn a golden hue during the golden minnow mating season. The Zabadoo councilmembers believe that fishing practices are the cause of low golden minnow populations. The golden minnows make excellent bait, so fishermen from all over the world buy them. The Zabadoo councilmembers enacted a new law that limits the number of golden minnows any non-Zabadoo citizen may remove from the city. The law also requires anyone who is not a Zabadoo citizen to pay $25 for each golden minnow they catch. The councilmembers argue the law will be effective because fishermen who are not citizens of Zabadoo pose the greatest risk to the golden minnows.

Which of the following, if true, would most seriously weaken the argument?

African broadbills, a small bird native to Africa, have a unique wing structure that allows the broadbills the capability to flutter part of their wings at a rate of approximately 1000 times per second. The extremely rapid motion of the broadbills’ wings creates a high-pitched whistling sound. Some ornithologists contend that the broadbills adapted the ability to gyrate their wings at such a fast pace for the sole purpose of mating. These researchers say the birds use the movement to make a sound that attracts prospective mates. However, this is incorrect, broadbills also use the high-pitched whistling noise as a protective mechanism for the group. When a broadbill sees a threat approaching another broadbill, the broadbill will gyrate its wings to warn the other bird.

Which of the following, if true, most seriously affects the argument above?

Commentator: Our Nation’s youth are consistently becoming less moral each year. Each year for the last ten years, a survey of ten-thousand people from Idaho has consistently shown that Idaho Citizens believe that more and more young people lack decent moral values. According to the last year’s survey, 40% of Idaho citizens over 60 said that people below 50 lacked strong morals.

The reasoning in the argument is flawed in that the argument:

Analyst: Government officials concerned with the sanctity of elections argue that foreign governments pose a huge risk. These officials claim that several foreign government have waged campaigns against our country in which the foreign governments spread false facts about potential candidates. They say this false information is used to spread distrust amongst the citizens of the country. However, these officials are incorrect about the foreign entities pose to the nation. The false information spread by other governments is almost always refuted quickly after it begins to spread. So, most people that see the false information do not believe it. And, because few people believe the information, it is not likely to impact elections.

The reasoning in the analyst’s argument is most vulnerable to the criticism on which of the following grounds?

State Senator: If a proposed bill protects our state economy, the proposed bill will be popular with both parties. Proposed bills that are popular with both parties become legislation, unless the bill includes a tax cut for wealthy corporations. The recently proposed bill will not become legislation.

Which of the following is an assumption that would allow the conclusion to be properly drawn?