Logical Reasoning

PT132 · S4 · Q22 Researchers have found that children

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

Researchers have found that children in large families­ particularly the younger siblings-generally have fewer allergies than children in small families do.

Conclusion / Hypothesis:

Being exposed to more germs during infancy (such as via your gross older siblings) makes you less likely to develop allergies

Evidence

Children in large families, particularly the younger ones, tend to have fewer allergies than do children in smaller families.

Evaluation

The researchers have observed a curious fact: why do the kids in larger families grow up with fewer allergies? Their explanation - exposure to germs during infancy helps to prevent allergies later in life.

With all curious fact / explanation arguments, we consider the same two pressure points: - how else could we explain the curious fact? - how plausible is the author's story

On a strengthen, question, we would either want to Rule Out a different way to explain the Curious Fact, or we would (more commonly) try to add some plausibility to the author's hypothesis.

Goal

The most common way to add plausibility to a hypothesis are to show an example of No Cause, No Effect (i.e. these other people who had germs during infancy ended up with no allergies")

22.

Which one of the following, if true, most supports the researchers' hypothesis?

  1. In countries where the average

    Weaker Than Correct Answer

    This fits the author's hypothesis: fewer family members, more allergies. It just isn't as specific to the "germ" hypothesis as the correct answer is. The hypothesis isn't just the idea of larger families, but one of the youngest kids in larger families get lots of exposure to germs during infancy (because their older siblings are gross little kids). This answer does little to home in on that part of the causal story.

    25% picked this

  2. Children in small families generally

    Opposite

    This weakens by providing an alternate explanation for why smaller families have higher rates of allergies (it's not less exposure to germs during infancy, it's that they eat so many more foods that potentially trigger allergies)

    2% picked this

  3. Some allergies are life threatening,

    No Impact

    The fact that diseases are often worse than germs does nothing to help us assess whether or not there's a causal connection between germ exposure as an infant and allergies as an adult.

    0% picked this

  4. Children whose parents have allergies

    Opposite

    This weakens by presenting a different explanation for the rate of allergies: genetics. Maybe there's a certain genetic profile that is the underlying cause of both smaller families and propensity towards allergies.

    1% picked this

  5. Correct

    Children from small families who

    Why this is right

    Here's a somewhat controlled comparison: kids who go to daycare are exposed to way more germs than kids who don't (on average). So if the kids who go to daycare are less likely to develop allergies, that bolsters the idea that germ exposure when you're very young has an influence on whether you develop allergies. People are going to be often frustrated by this correct answer since it involves the outside knowledge that "before age one = infancy" and "daycare = more exposure to germs". Many, many correct answers on causal arguments involve using common sense about the world, so don't be afraid to tap into that.

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

    71% 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