Logical ReasoningDifficulty: Easy

PT12 S4 Q21 Explanation

Some people fear that global warming

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

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Stimulus

Some people fear that global warming will cause the large ice formations in the polar seas to melt, thereby warming the waters of those seas and threatening the plankton that is crucial to the marine food chain. Some scientists contend that it is unlikely that the melting process has the same today as they were a century ago.

What this question is testing

Weaken

Your task

Find the choice that makes the argument's conclusion less likely to be true.

Common trap

Answers that look negative but attack a claim the argument never relied on.

Winning move

Find the assumption the argument depends on, then pick the choice that undermines 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
21.

Which one of the following, if true, most seriously undermines the

Answer choices

  1. Trap4% picked this

    Much of the marine plant life that flourishes in the polar seas will die in the event that the water temperatures

  2. Trap6% picked this

    The overall effect of the melting process will be an increase in

  3. Trap1% picked this

    The mean air temperature above both land and water in the polar regions has not varied significantly over

  4. Correct90% picked this

    The temperature of water that contains melting ice tends to remain constant until all of the ice in

    Why this is right

    Answer D is correct.

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

  5. Trap0% picked this

    The mean temperature of ocean waters near the equator has remained constant over the

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