Logical Reasoning

PT112 · S4 · Q2 The current theory about earthquakes

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

  • Save & drill this skill — build targeted practice sets from questions like this one

  • Video walkthroughs — watch every question solved step by step

  • 81 official LSATs — as questions, timed sections & full-length tests

Start practicing free

The current theory about earthquakes holds that they are caused by adjoining plates of rock sliding past each other; the plates are pressed together until powerful forces overcome the resistance.

Conclusion

There's something still mysterious about the current theory about earthquakes.

Evidence

The current theory says that earthquakes are caused by adjoining plates being pressed together until powerful forces overcome the resistance. Overcoming resistance should create enormous amounts of heat, but so far we've never seen an increase in temperature following an earthquake (other than weather related ones).

Evaluate

This argument doesn't really have an explicit conclusion, which is why the question stem uses the term Main Point instead of Main Conclusion.

Main Point question stems also sometimes lead to correct answers that seem to state a conclusion and a premise.

On regular Main Conclusion questions, the author's conclusion is frequently some sort of rebuttal sentiment. When we see the second sentence saying "as plausible as this may sound, _____ ", we know that the second half is going to be impugning the plausibility of the current theory.

However, we don't want to go over the top and say, "The current theory is clearly wrong". We want something more like "The current theory isn't definitively correct".

Goal

Look for something like .

2.

Which one of the following most accurately expresses the main point of the argument?

  1. No increases in temperature have

    Premise

    This is the evidence for the author's conclusion that "the current theory isn't fully plausible yet".

    12% picked this

  2. Correct

    The current theory does not

    Why this is right

    This is a soft takedown of the current theory -- it isn't fully proving itself to be correct. The theory would predict enormous heat, but earthquake data doesn't show increases in heat.

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

    78% picked this

  3. No one will ever be

    Too Strong

    There's no way to get from what it says in this paragraph to the extreme fatalism of "no one will ever be sure what the real answer is".

    1% picked this

  4. Earthquakes produce enormous amounts of

    Not Supported

    This theory predicts a mechanism for earthquakes that would be expected to generate enormous amounts of heat. We haven't been able to detect that heat though. It's possible that our detection skills are lacking, but it's also possible that the theory is just wrong. The author hasn't accepted that the theory is right, so she hasn't accepted that earthquakes necessarily produce enormous amounts of heat.

    9% picked this

  5. Contrary to the current theory,

    Too Strong

    The author hasn't said anything strong enough to indicate that we should throw the current theory into the garbage. Saying "at least one thing remains mysterious" is still leaving the door open that the theory could be saved.

    1% picked this

Continue the review in LSAT Lab

Save this question, watch the video walkthrough, and drill similar questions in your LSAT Lab account.

Save and practice this skill
LSAT Lab

Turn this review into a targeted study plan.

Save this question, drill more like it, watch the video walkthrough, and track your progress in your LSAT Lab account.

Start practicing free