Logical ReasoningDifficulty: Hard

PT112 S4 Q20 Explanation

Consumer advocate: The introduction

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

TopicsStrengthen

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Full official LSAT questions are available through LawHub. This page provides LSAT Lab's explanation, strategy, and review tools without republishing the full official question.

Stimulus

Consumer advocate: The introduction of a new drug into the marketplace should be contingent upon our having a good understanding of its social impact. However, the social impact of the newly marketed antihistamine is far from clear. It is obvious, then, that there should be a the marketplace new drugs that are now being tested.

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
20.

Which one of the following, if true, most strengthens

Answer choices

  1. Correct49% picked this

    The social impact of the new antihistamine is much better understood than that of most

    Why this is right

    This provides evidence that most of the new drugs being tested are drugs where the social impact is super far from clear. The impact of the new antihistamine is already far from clear, and we actually understand that drug "much better" than we understand most new drugs. If an answer had said, "the social impact of most new drugs is as poorly understood as that of the new antihistamine", it would strengthen by making it seem like the situation with the new antihistamine is representative of most new drugs. By saying, "the social impact of most new drugs is much worse understood than that of the new antihistamine", the answer is super-strengthening!

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

  2. Too Weak: Some29% picked this

    The social impact of some of the new drugs being tested

    This definitely strengthens somewhat, but since some just means "at least one", it's a very weak strengthener. Comparing this to (A), we get the same information (don't possess clear understanding of social impact) about but about most new drugs.

  3. No Impact: Economic Success5% picked this

    The economic success of some drugs is inversely proportional to how well we understand

    Nothing in this conversation has been about, or would be concerned about, the economic success that a drug does or doesn't have. We're only concerned with whether or not the current pace of bringing new drugs to the market involves bringing them to market before we have a clear understanding of their social impact.

  4. Too Weak12% picked this

    The new antihistamine is chemically similar to some of the new

    Too Weak: Some Unclear Impact: Chemically Similar This definitely strengthens a tiny amount, but since some just means "at least one", it's a very weak strengthener. And since "chemically similar" is related to "social impact of drug" but definitely not equivalent to it, it's a weaker connection even than (B).

  5. Negated Logic5% picked this

    The new antihistamine should be on the market only if most new drugs being tested should be

    Our author is thinking the illegal negation of this answer. "Only if" always means to put that attached idea on the RIGHT side of the arrow. Author: if the new antihistamine then most new drugs shouldn't have been ? shouldn't be brought brought to market yet to market at this pace This answer: if the new antihistamine then most new drugs should be brought ? should be brought to market yet to market

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