Logical ReasoningDifficulty: Easy

PT127 S2 Q6 Explanation

Dietitian: High consumption of sodium

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

TopicsNecessary Assumption

Keep going in LSAT Lab

  • Save & drill this skill — build targeted practice sets from questions like this one

  • Video walkthroughs — watch every question solved step by step

  • 81 official LSATs — as questions, timed sections & full-length tests

Start practicing free

Free to start

Full official LSAT questions are available through LawHub. This page provides LSAT Lab's explanation, strategy, and review tools without republishing the full official question.

Stimulus

Dietitian: High consumption of sodium increases some people's chances of developing heart disease. To maintain cardiac health without lowering sodium consumption, therefore, these people should eat fresh, rather than canned or frozen, fruit and foods helps to prevent sodium's malign effects.

What this question is testing

Necessary Assumption

Your task

Find the assumption the argument requires in order for its conclusion to hold.

Common trap

Answers that would help the argument but aren't strictly required (sufficient, not necessary).

Winning move

Negate each choice — the right one breaks the argument when negated.

Reading along? Open the full official question in LawHub — we show a fragment here and keep the reasoning in our own words.

The question
6.

Which one of the following is an assumption required by the

Answer choices

  1. Irrelevant Comparison6% picked this

    Fresh fruits and vegetables contain more potassium

    Whether fresh fruits and vegetables have more potassium than salt is not relevant to the argument. It would be more important to determine whether fresh fruit and vegetables have more potassium than canned or frozen fruits and vegetables.

  2. Too Weak4% picked this

    Food processing businesses often add sodium to foods being canned

    The argument is careful to spell out the limited scope of the conclusion which is for those who wish to maintain cardiac health without lowering sodium consumption. So the improvement is for a fixed amount of sodium.

  3. Too Strong3% picked this

    Potassium is the only mineral that helps to prevent sodium's

    There could be other minerals that help prevent sodium’s malign effects, but are less controllable than one’s potassium intake.

  4. Too Strong3% picked this

    Potassium in fruits and vegetables has few negative

    There could be side effects which are less significant than the benefits of mitigating the malign effects of sodium.

  5. Correct84% picked this

    Fresh fruits and vegetables contain more potassium than do canned or

    Why this is right

    This provides the comparison on which the argument depends.

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

Continue the review in LSAT Lab

Save this question, watch the video walkthrough, and drill similar questions in your LSAT Lab account.

Save and practice this skill
LSAT Lab

Turn this review into a targeted study plan.

Save this question, drill more like it, watch the video walkthrough, and track your progress in your LSAT Lab account.

Start practicing free