Logical ReasoningDifficulty: Medium

PT102 S2 Q17 Explanation

Nicotine has long been known to

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

TopicsParadox

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Stimulus

Nicotine has long been known to cause heart attacks and high blood pressure. Yet a recent study has shown that the incidence of heart attacks and high blood pressure is significantly higher among cigarette smokers who do not chew equal amount of nicotine through tobacco chewing.

What this question is testing

Paradox

Your task

Break the argument into its conclusion and evidence, then do exactly what the question stem asks with that structure.

Common trap

Answers that sound relevant to the topic but don't connect to the argument's actual reasoning.

Winning move

Predict what a right answer must do, then test each choice against the conclusion-evidence gap.

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

The question
17.

Which one of the following, if true, helps LEAST to resolve the apparent

Answer choices

  1. Trap4% picked this

    People who smoke but do not chew tobacco tend to exercise less than those who chew tobacco

  2. Trap7% picked this

    Chemicals other than nicotine present in chewing tobacco but not present in cigarette smoke mitigate the effects that nicotine

  3. Trap3% picked this

    People who chew tobacco but do not smoke tend to have healthier diets than those who smoke but

  4. Correct80% picked this

    Chemicals other than nicotine present in chewing tobacco but not present in cigarette smoke

    Why this is right

    Answer D is correct.

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

  5. Trap7% picked this

    Chemicals other than nicotine present in cigarette smoke but not present in chewing tobacco

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