Logical ReasoningDifficulty: Medium

PT112 S1 Q13 Explanation

When astronomers observed the comet

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

TopicsParadox

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Stimulus

When astronomers observed the comet Schwassman-Wachmann 3 becoming 1,000 times brighter in September 1995, they correctly hypothesized that its increased brightness was a result of the comet’s breaking up—when comets break up, they emit large amounts of gas and dust, becoming visibly brighter as a result. However, their observations did not reveal even though telescopes were trained on it throughout the entire period.

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
13.

Which one of the following, if true, most helps to resolve the apparent conflict in

Answer choices

  1. Trap15% picked this

    Comets often do not emit gas and dust until several weeks after they have begun

  2. Trap2% picked this

    The reason comets become brighter when they break up is that the gas and dust that

  3. Correct76% picked this

    Gas and dust can be released by cracks in a comet even if the comet is not broken

    Why this is right

    Answer C is correct.

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

  4. Trap6% picked this

    The amount of gas and dust emitted steadily increased during the period from

  5. Trap1% picked this

    The comet passed close to the sun during this period and the gravitational strain caused

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