LSAT 115 – Section 4 – Question 20

LSAT 115 - Section 4 - Question 20

December 2002

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Question
QuickView		 Type Tags Answer
Choices		 Curve Question
Difficulty		 Psg/Game/S
Difficulty		 Explanation
PT115 S4 Q20
+LR
Flaw or descriptive weakening +Flaw
Causal Reasoning +CausR
A
36%
159
B
4%
155
C
2%
156
D
54%
165
E
4%
154
151
161
170
 +Hardest 146.173 +SubsectionMedium

Some people believe that good health is due to luck. However, studies from many countries indicate a strong correlation between good health and high educational levels. Thus research supports the view that good health is largely the result of making informed lifestyle choices.

Summarize Argument: Counter-Position
The author concludes that good health is largely the result of making informed lifestyle choices. This is based on the fact that studies from many countries show a strong correlation between good health and high educational levels.

Identify and Describe Flaw
The author assumes that the correlation between good health and high educational levels is due to high education levels tending to cause good health. This overlooks the possibility that there’s an alternate cause that leads to both good health and high educational levels. This also overlooks the possibility that having good health improves one’s ability to seek higher education. The author also assumes that there’s an association between high education levels and making more informed lifestyle choices.

A
presumes, without providing justification, that only highly educated people make informed lifestyle choices
Although the author does assume that higher educational levels are indicative of a higher likelihood of making informed lifestyle choices, that doesn’t mean he thinks “only” those with higher education make informed lifestyle choices.
B
overlooks the possibility that people who make informed lifestyle choices may nonetheless suffer from inherited diseases
The author never suggests that people who make informed lifestyle choices will never have health problems. So, the possibility that they might have inherited diseases doesn’t undermine the reasoning.
C
presumes, without providing justification, that informed lifestyle choices are available to everyone
The author does not assume everyone can make informed lifestyle choices. The argument simply concerns the cause of good health. Even if some people aren’t able to engage in the behaviors that the author thinks leads to good health, that doesn’t undermine the author’s reasoning.
D
overlooks the possibility that the same thing may causally contribute both to education and to good health
The author overlooks the possibility that the correlation between good health and education is due to a thing that causes both good health and education (such wealth or genetics). This shows there doesn’t have to be a causal relationship between education and good health.
E
does not acknowledge that some people who fail to make informed lifestyle choices are in good health
The author assumes there is a causal relationship between informed choices and being in good health, but that doesn’t commit the author to believing this is the only cause of good health. The fact some people who make bad choices are healthy does not hurt the argument.

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LSAT PrepTest 115 Explanations

Section 1 - Reading Comprehension

Section 2 - Logical Reasoning

Section 3 - Reading Comprehension

Section 4 - Logical Reasoning

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