Logical Reasoning

PT13 · S2 · Q21 Mark: Plastic‐foam cups, which

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

  • 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

Mark: Plastic‐foam cups, which contain environmentally harmful chlorofluorocarbons, should no longer be used; paper cups are preferable.

Mark's Conclusion

Plastic foam cups should no longer be used.

Mark's Evidence

Paper cups are preferable. A carcinogenic by-product is generated in foam production, and foam persists indefinitely in the environment.

Tina's Rebuttal

It takes more petroleum, steam, electricity, and cooling water to make paper. Transporting paper takes more energy. Paper mills lead to water pollution. Decaying paper cups produce methane, which exacerbates global warming.

Evaluate

Tina offered a lot of ways in which paper cups are worse than plastic. So Mark will either need to address one of those pieces of evidence (and make it not seem so much like paper is environmentally worse than plastic) or cite something of his own to reiterate that plastic is worse.

Goal

There are so many different ways this could go, we pretty much need to just go to the answers thinking "plastic is worse than paper", and see if we can find an answer to help us defend that point of view.

21.

Which one of the following, if true, could Mark cite to counter evidence offered by Tina?

  1. The use of energy for

    No Impact

    This seems to just break down the energy used to make paper into a couple line items, but this has no comparative value in terms of us arguing "plastic is worse than paper".

    6% picked this

  2. Foam cups are somewhat more

    Opposite

    This indicates a mild consumer preference for plastic-foam, so not only is it irrelevant to the environmental-impact debate that we're really having, it also goes in the wrong direction. We're trying to argue "plastic is worse than paper", so we don't want to hear that consumers slightly prefer plastic.

    1% picked this

  3. Correct

    The production and transportation of

    Why this is right

    This addresses one of Tina's pieces of evidence as makes that piece of evidence less compelling. She was stressing the environmental damage of paper in part by citing how, "A study done 5 years ago showed that making paper burned more petroleum than was used for foam cups". But this answer is saying that's not a relevant premise any more. The energy that runs paper mills now comes from burning waste wood, not petroleum. Meanwhile, plastic does still use petroleum (we're assuming), and producing and transporting petroleum results in serious environmental pollution. So, Mark can argue "plastic is worse than paper", insofar as plastic requires us to produce/transport petroleum (which sometimes has serious environmental damage), whereas paper mills can run off burning waste wood.

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

    80% picked this

  4. The amount of styrene escaping

    Opposite

    Mark was trying to argue that "plastic is worse than paper" in large part because of the danger of styrene, involved in plastic manufacturing. This answer is muting the impact of Mark's premise, saying that the amount of styrene that escapes is negligible. So this weakens Mark and helps Tina.

    8% picked this

  5. Acre for acre, tree farms

    Opposite

    This answer is saying that tree farms used for paper production aren't as beneficial as natural forests that remain uncut. This would strengthen the position of someone saying, "It's bad that we produce paper! We should leave forests uncut so that we get their full environmental benefits" But that's Tina's side. We want an answer saying plastic is bad.

    4% picked this

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