Logical ReasoningDifficulty: Medium

PT127 S2 Q25 Explanation

Farmer: In the long run

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

TopicsRole

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Stimulus

Farmer: In the long run, it is counterproductive for farmers to use insecticides. Because insects' resistance to insecticides increases with insecticide use, farmers have to use greater insecticides to control insect pests.

What this question is testing

Role

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
25.

Which one of the following most accurately describes the role played in the farmer's argument by the proposition that farmers have to use greater and greater amounts of

Answer choices

  1. Wrong Role2% picked this

    It is the argument's main conclusion, but not its

    The main conclusion is the first claim.

  2. Correct75% picked this

    It is a claim for which a causal explanation is provided and which itself is used as direct support

    Why this is right

    The Because half of the last sentence is the causal explanation for the second half of the last sentence (the claim we're being asked about). And this idea that "in the long run, you have to use more and more costly pesticides", is what directly supports the conclusion in the first sentence that "in the long run it's counterproductive to use pesticides".

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

  3. Wrong Role1% picked this

    It is the argument's only

    This would mean that it's the main conclusion, which is the first sentence.

  4. Wrong Role15% picked this

    It is a claim that is used as direct support for an intermediary conclusion, which in turn is used as direct support

    If anything, this answer would describe the 2nd of the 3 claims in the paragraph, the Because claim. The claim we're asked about provides direct support for the conclusion in the first sentence.

  5. Contradiction6% picked this

    It identifies a phenomenon for which the argument's main conclusion offers

    The claim is supported by the premise with a causal explanation, but the conclusion does not provide a causal explanation of the claim. This answer would apply to an Explain Curious Fact argument, like, "People who take LSAT are more likely than others to argue with people. Thus, the LSAT must make people more argumentative". This answer would be describing the first sentence of such an argument.

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