Cholesterol, which is a known

Answer choices

1. A

   Strengthens Plausibility4% picked this

   HDLs, unlike LDLs, help the body

   Since cholesterol is a known factor in heart disease and stroke, getting rid of cholesterol (as we find out HDLs uniquely do) could plausibly result in a lower risk of heart disease and stroke.

   4%
2. B

   Strengthens Plausibility7% picked this

   Persons who are overweight tend to have a higher risk of early death due to coronary heart disease and stroke, and tend

   This provides more data points in which higher HDLs is correlated with lower risk of heart disease / stroke, and lower HDLs are correlated with higher risk of heart disease / stroke. The overweight people described in this answer tend to have low levels of HDLs and higher risk of heart disease and stroke. If an author is selling us on a causal relationship CAUSE EFFECT higher HDLs less risk of HD/stroke Then the most common way for LSAT to strengthen this connection is by giving us No Cause, No Effect data points, such as this answer.

   7%
3. C

   Correct79% picked this

   HDLs are less easily removed from the bloodstream than

   Why this is right

   This has no impact on the conversation, so it's our correct answer. Who cares about removing LDLs or HDLs from the bloodstream? Is anyone trying to remove either of those? Do we care then which is easier or harder to remove? Does being harder to remove from the bloodstream have any connection to lowering the risk of heart disease / stroke? Nope.

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

   79%
4. D

   Supports Plausibility3% picked this

   A high level of HDLs mitigates the increased health risks associated

   (At least some of) the health risks associated with LDLs are higher risk of heart disease and stroke. If high HDLs mitigate that risk (i.e. lessen it), then high HDLs lessen the risk of heart disease and stroke. This answer essentially gives us the conclusion.

   3%
5. E

   Supports by Ruling Out / Plausibility7% picked this

   Men whose level of HDLs is equal to the average level for women have been found to have a lower risk of coronary heart

   We might have argued that the connection between women, HDLs, and lower risk of heart disease / stroke is coincidental. Yes, women have higher HDLs on average, but that's not the reason they have lower risk of heart disease / stroke. Maybe there's some other characteristic of being a woman (f.e. higher levels of estrogen, better diet, looks better in a pair of Uggs) that is the reason that women have lower risk. This answer rules out those sorts of alternate explanations. "No, it's not the estrogen causing the lower risk. After all, if you look at men who have HDLs levels similar to those of women (but have less estrogen than women), you can see that they have lower risk of heart disease / stroke too." Even without talking through the alternate explanation angle, this answer on its face is showing more data points that correlate higher HDL with lower risk of heart disease and stroke, so on its own it also increases the plausibility of the conclusion.

   7%