Logical ReasoningDifficulty: Easy

PT114 S1 Q4 Explanation

An anthropologist hypothesized that a

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

TopicsStrengthen

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Stimulus

An anthropologist hypothesized that a certain medicinal powder contained a significant amount of the deadly toxin T. When the test she performed for the presence of toxin T was negative, the anthropologist did not report the results. A chemist who nevertheless learned about the test results charged the anthropologist with fraud. The the powder had inadvertently been tested in an acidic solution.

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
4.

Which one of the following, if true, most strengthens the

Answer choices

  1. Trap2% picked this

    The anthropologist had evidence from field work that the medicinal powder was typically prepared

  2. Trap0% picked this

    The activity level of toxin T tends to decline if the powder is stored for

  3. Correct97% picked this

    When it is put into an acidic solution, toxin T

    Why this is right

    Answer C is correct.

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

  4. Trap0% picked this

    A fresh batch of powder for a repeat analysis was available at the time

  5. Trap1% picked this

    The type of analysis used was insensitive to very small amounts

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