LSAT 124 – Section 2 – Question 13

LSAT 124 - Section 2 - Question 13

December 2007

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Question
QuickView		 Type Tags Answer
Choices		 Curve Question
Difficulty		 Psg/Game/S
Difficulty		 Explanation
PT124 S2 Q13
+LR
+Exp
Flaw or descriptive weakening +Flaw
Causal Reasoning +CausR
A
1%
148
B
0%
151
C
96%
163
D
2%
153
E
1%
148
126
134
142
 +Easiest 145.571 +SubsectionMedium

Researcher: People with certain personality disorders have more theta brain waves than those without such disorders. But my data show that the amount of one’s theta brain waves increases while watching TV. So watching too much TV increases one’s risk of developing personality disorders.

Summarize Argument
The researcher concludes that watching too much TV increases the risk of developing personality disorders. He supports this by saying that people with certain personality disorders have more theta brain waves, and watching TV increases theta brain waves.

Identify and Describe Flaw
This is the cookie-cutter flaw of assuming that correlation proves causation. The researcher points out a correlation between theta brain waves and personality disorders, then assumes that theta brain waves cause those disorders. He concludes that since TV increases theta brain waves, it must also increase the risk of personality disorders.

In reality, personality disorders might cause the increase in theta waves, or another factor could be causing both. In either of these cases, the researcher’s link between watching TV and developing personality disorders falls apart.

A
uses the phrase “personality disorders” ambiguously
The researcher uses the phrase “personality disorders” clearly and consistently. Its meaning doesn’t shift throughout his argument.
B
fails to define the phrase “theta brain waves”
The researcher doesn't define “theta brain waves,” but he doesn’t need to. (B) doesn’t describe why his reasoning is questionable.
C
takes correlation to imply a causal connection
The author takes the correlation between theta brain waves and certain personality disorders to imply that theta brain waves cause those disorders. It’s possible, however, that the personality disorders cause theta brain waves or that some other factor causes them both.
D
draws a conclusion from an unrepresentative sample of data
We don’t know the sample size of the researcher’s data and we can’t simply assume that his data is unrepresentative.
E
infers that watching TV is a consequence of a personality disorder
Actually, the researcher infers that developing a personality disorder could be a consequence of watching TV. (E) has this backward.

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LSAT PrepTest 124 Explanations

Section 1 - Logical Reasoning

Section 2 - Logical Reasoning

Section 3 - Logical Reasoning

Section 4 - Reading Comprehension

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