Logical ReasoningDifficulty: Easy

PT10 S4 Q11 Explanation

The foreign minister of Zeria

A free, expert breakdown of this official LSAT Logical Reasoning question.

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Stimulus

The foreign minister of Zeria announced today that her country was severing diplomatic relations with Nandalo because of Nandalo’s flagrant violations of human rights. But Zeria continues to maintain diplomatic relations with many countries that the minister knows to have far worse human-rights records than Nandalo does. Therefore, despite be explained exclusively by Zeria’s commitment to upholding human rights.

What this question is testing

Strengthen

Your task

Find the choice that makes the argument's conclusion more likely to be true.

Common trap

Answers that are consistent with the argument but add no real support, or that strengthen a claim the argument doesn't make.

Winning move

Locate the gap between evidence and conclusion, then pick the choice that closes it.

Reading along? Open the full official question in LawHub — we show a fragment here and keep the reasoning in our own words.

The question
11.

Which one of the following, if true, provides the most support for the argument

Answer choices

  1. Correct87% picked this

    The country that currently buys most of Zeria’s exports recently suggested that it might severely restrict its imports from Zeria unless Zeria

    Why this is right

    This answer provides an alternative motive: pressure from a trading partner on Zeria to sever ties with Nandalo. If Zeria's main export partner threatened trade restrictions unless Zeria took this diplomatic action, it clearly supports the argument that the motivation wasn't purely about human rights.

    Skill tested: Strengthen · how this choice captures the argument's function is the move to repeat next time.

  2. No Impact2% picked this

    Two weeks after the Zerian minister’s announcement, several other countries cited human-rights violations as a reason for severing

    This informs us of actions other countries took after Zeria's decision. It does not provide an alternate reason for Zeria's decision, so it doesn’t support the notion that the move wasn’t purely about human rights.

  3. No Impact3% picked this

    More countries have expressed concern over reported human-rights violations in Nandalo than have expressed concern over

    This answer provides comparative information about international concern over human-rights violations in Nandalo and Zeria, but does not provide an alternate explanation for Zeria's severing of relations.

  4. No Impact2% picked this

    Nandalo has considered accusing Zeria of violating the human rights of Nandalo citizens

    This option discusses a potential allegation by Nandalo against Zeria. This does not provide an alternative reason for Zeria's diplomatic actions and thus doesn't bolster the argument that the move wasn’t exclusively about human rights.

  5. No Impact5% picked this

    The opposition party in Zeria has long advocated severing trade relations with countries that systematically violate human rights but

    This choice provides information about the stance of Zeria's opposition party concerning human rights. However, it doesn’t contribute to explaining the real reason behind Zeria's foreign minister's decision.

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