Logical ReasoningDifficulty: Hard

PT132 S2 Q20 Explanation

Astronomer: Earlier estimates

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

TopicsParadox

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Stimulus

Astronomer: Earlier estimates of the distances of certain stars from Earth would mean that these stars are about 1 billion years older than the universe itself, an impossible scenario. My estimates of the distances indicate that these stars are much farther away than previously thought. And the farther away the stars are, earlier conflict between the ages of these stars and the age of the universe.

What this question is testing

Paradox

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
20.

Which one of the following, if true, most helps to explain why the astronomer's estimates of the stars' distances from Earth help resolve the earlier conflict between the

Answer choices

  1. Deepens the Paradox2% picked this

    The stars are the oldest objects yet discovered in

    The first statements indicates that researchers couldn’t find any correlation between weather and arthritis pain.

  2. Reversal6% picked this

    The younger the universe is, the more bright stars it is

    This reverses the relationship Y ? B that provides insight into why making the stars brighter would make them younger.

  3. Correct69% picked this

    The brighter a star is, the younger

    Why this is right

    This builds a bridge between the stars being brighter and them not being older than the universe. B ? Y

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

  4. Premise20% picked this

    How bright celestial objects appear to be depends on how far away from the

    This paraphrases the third statement.

  5. Too Weak2% picked this

    New telescopes allow astronomers to see a greater number of

    While this might suggest how the new estimates of the stars ages were reached, but it does not indicate how the new understanding of brightness level indicates anything about the age of the stars.

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