In the city of Glasgow,

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

TopicsParadox

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Stimulus

In the city of Glasgow, Scotland, trade doubled between 1750, when the first bank opened there, and 1765, when government regulations implemented in Scotland.

What this question is testing

Paradox

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

Each of the following, if true, could contribute to an explanation of the doubling

Answer choices

Helps Explain23% picked this
The technological revolution that started in the early eighteenth century in England resulted in increased trade
This answer tells us that in the early 1700's, there was a technological revolution that resulted in increased trade between England and Scotland. Could that contribute to an explanation for why trade in Glasgow, Scotland doubled between 1750 and 1765? Sure. If this technological revolution resulted in higher levels of trade between England and Scotland, then part of why trade doubled between 1750 and 1765 could be from the increased trade with England brought about by this tech revolution.
23%
Helps Explain4% picked this
Reductions in tariffs on foreign goods in 1752 led to an increase in
This answer tells us that in 1752, they reduced the tariffs on foreign goods, leading to an increase in imports to Glasgow. So this could also contribute to why trade doubled between 1750 and 1765 in Glasgow.
4%
Helps Explain8% picked this
The establishment of banking in Glasgow encouraged the use of paper money, which made financial
The establishment of banking in Glasgow happened in 1750, and it "made financial transactions more efficient". The more efficient financial transactions are, the more trade can potentially happen in a given period of time. So this could help explain why trade doubled from 1750 to 1765.
8%
Helps Explain3% picked this
Improvements in Scottish roads between 1750 and 1758 facilitated trade between Glasgow and the
This answer tells us that between 1750 and 1758, "improvements in roads in Scotland facilitated trade". So that can help explain why trade increased from 1750 - 1765.
3%
Correct63% picked this
The initial government regulation of Scottish banks stimulated
Why this is right
As we may have suspected, this answer tries to use the irrelevant detail about the initial government regulations which began in 1765. Who cares what these regulations stimulated? Anything stimulated by the 1765 regulations will have effects that take place post-1765. Since we're trying to explain what was happening from 1750 - 1765, this answer is totally irrelevant.
Skill tested: Paradox · how this choice captures the argument's function is the move to repeat next time.
63%

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