Logical ReasoningDifficulty: Easy

PT114 S2 Q14 Explanation

Ethicist: Both ASA and TPA are

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

TopicsMain Conclusion

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Stimulus

Ethicist: Both ASA and TPA are clot-dissolving agents. Recent studies show that the more expensive agent, TPA, would save at most two more lives than would ASA out of every 50 cardiac patients to whom they are postoperatively administered. However, since the relatives of the patients who die simply because they were in using ASA over TPA must also be weighed against such considerations.

What this question is testing

Main Conclusion

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
14.

Which one of the following most accurately expresses the conclusion of the

Answer choices

  1. Too Strong: never2% picked this

    ASA should never be given to postoperative cardiac patients in place

    Nothing in this paragraph is anywhere near as strong as "never". The author's conclusion is a very wishy-washy claim that "one thing should be weighed against another".

  2. Never Said6% picked this

    TPA is a slightly more effective clot-dissolving agent

    This is one of those trap answers saying an Inference or an Assumption (an invisible claim). We're not looking for a hidden idea the author also believes. We looking for an equivalent rephrasing of the author's explicit conclusion, so we need the final claim of this paragraph.

  3. Correct83% picked this

    The extra expense of TPA cannot be weighed simply against the few

    Why this is right

    The last claim is saying The financial saving of ASA must also be weighed simply against X. That's a clever rephrasing of The extra expense of TPA cannot be weighed simply against the few additional lives saved. The author was saying that as we're considering whether to go with the extra expense of TPA vs. the financial saving of ASA, it's not just the "at most 2" out of 50 patients we could save. We must also weigh the fact that saving money with ASA could lead to really regretful grieving from people who lose loved ones and forever blame the cheaper treatment.

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

  4. Never Said2% picked this

    ASA is a less expensive clot-dissolving agent

    This is not a claim that was made. It's an inference derived by combining the first two sentences. We're trying to find the best match for the final claim of the paragraph, which was this author's conclusion.

  5. Premise6% picked this

    Relatives of a patient who has died grieve more if the patient received ASA

    This was prefaced by since, so we know it's a Supporting idea. FABS = for, after all, because, since always indicate Supporting ideas

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