Logical ReasoningDifficulty: Hard

PT132 S4 Q16 Explanation

All etching tools

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

TopicsSufficient 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

All etching tools are either pin-tipped or bladed. While some bladed etching tools are used for engraving, some are not. On the other hand, all pin-tipped etching tools are used for engraving. Thus, there are more etching tools that etching tools that are not used for engraving.

What this question is testing

Sufficient Assumption

Your task

Find the assumption that, if added, guarantees the conclusion follows.

Common trap

Answers that only partly bridge the gap, leaving the conclusion unproven.

Winning move

Identify the new term in the conclusion and pick the choice that links it to the evidence.

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

The question
16.

The conclusion of the argument follows logically if which one of the

Answer choices

  1. Irrelevant Relationship7% picked this

    All tools used for engraving are etching tools

    Any engraving tools that are not etching tools are not relevant to the argument.

  2. Correct69% picked this

    There are as many pin-tipped etching tools as there are bladed

    Why this is right

    This ensures the conclusion is true because all of the pin-tipped etching tools (≥50%) are used for engraving, plus some of the bladed etching tools (≥1%). Together they ensure that more than half of etching tools are used for engraving.

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

  3. Too Weak8% picked this

    No etching tool is both pin-tipped

    This fails to indicate what proportion of etching tools are pin-tipped and what proportion are bladed.

  4. Weaken7% picked this

    The majority of bladed etching tools are not used

    This makes it less likely that more etching tools are used for engraving than are not.

  5. Inference9% picked this

    All etching tools that are not used for engraving

    This follows from the ET → PT or B evidence provided, but PT → EN it is not sufficient to ჻ ET + EN → B establish the conclusion.

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