Logical ReasoningDifficulty: Easy

PT130 S4 Q2 Explanation

To keep one's hands warm

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

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Stimulus

To keep one's hands warm during the winter, one never needs gloves or mittens. One can always keep one's hands warm simply by putting on an extra layer of clothing, such as a thermal undershirt or a sweater. can keep one's hands warm as well.

What this question is testing

Weaken

Your task

Find the choice that makes the argument's conclusion less likely to be true.

Common trap

Answers that look negative but attack a claim the argument never relied on.

Winning move

Find the assumption the argument depends on, then pick the choice that undermines it.

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

The question
2.

Which one of the following, if true, most weakens

Answer choices

  1. Irrelevant Comparison1% picked this

    Maintaining the temperature of your hands is far less important, physiologically, than maintaining the temperature

    The importance of maintaining the temperature of either is not relevant to the argument about whether one will maintain that temperature.

  2. Irrelevant Comparison1% picked this

    Several layers of light garments will keep one's vital organs warmer than will one or

    Comparing the effectiveness of these two measures is not relevant to weather one will be able to keep one’s hands warm by keeping one’s vital organs warm.

  3. Correct87% picked this

    Wearing an extra layer of clothing will not keep one's hands warm at temperatures low

    Why this is right

    This weakens the argument by presenting a counterexample to the strong assertion in the intermediate conclusion.

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

  4. Too Weak3% picked this

    Keeping one's hands warm by putting on an extra layer of clothing is less effective than

    Less effective is not the same as sometimes not effective. Less effective still leaves open the possibility that the measure is always basically effective.

  5. Too Weak8% picked this

    The physical effort required to put on an extra layer of clothing does not stimulate circulation enough

    The issue is keeping one’s vital organs warmed, while this is about putting on an extra layer of clothing. Remember the gap is between the premise and the intermediate conclusion, between keeping one’s vital organs warm and keeping one’s hands warm. According to this answer, the physical exertion does not warm the hands, but according to the argument it should be that one’s vital organs are warm.

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