Logical ReasoningDifficulty: Hard

PT131 S1 Q8 ExplanationWe can now dismiss

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

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Stimulus

We can now dismiss the widely held suspicion that sugar consumption often exacerbates hyperactivity in children with attention deficit disorder. A scientific study of the effects of three common sugars­—sucrose, fructose, and glucose—on children who have attention deficit disorder, with experimental groups each receiving a type of sugar in their diets and no statistically significant difference between the groups in thinking or behavior.

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
8.

Which one of the following, if true, would most weaken the

Answer choices, explained

  1. Strengthen11% picked this

    Only one of the three types of sugar used in the study was ever widely

    Since all three types of sugar had the impact on hyperactivity, this supports the view that sugar does not exacerbate hyperactivity.

  2. Too Weak4% picked this

    The consumption of sugar actually has a calming effect on

    This depends on assuming those children have attention deficit disorder.

  3. Correct63% picked this

    The consumption of some sugar substitutes exacerbates the symptoms

    Why this is right

    This attacks the argument’s assumption.

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

  4. Strengthen18% picked this

    The study included some observations of each group in contexts that generally tend to make

    This defends the argument from the possibility that the reason the children did not display differences in thinking or behavior is that they had not encountered a context that would stimulate excitement and activity.

  5. Too Weak4% picked this

    Some children believe that they can tell the difference between the taste of sugar and

    What children believe and what is the case may be quite different things.

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