Logical ReasoningDifficulty: Hard

PT133 S2 Q14 Explanation

Expert: What criteria distinguish

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

TopicsMust be True

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Stimulus

Expert: What criteria distinguish addictive substances from nonaddictive ones? Some have suggested that any substance that at least some habitual users can cease to use is nonaddictive. However, if this is taken to be the sole criterion of nonaddictiveness, some substances that most medical experts classify as prime examples of addictive substances only if withdrawal from its habitual use causes most users extreme psychological and physiological difficulty.

What this question is testing

Must be True

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
14.

Which one of the following can be properly inferred from the

Answer choices

  1. Reversal25% picked this

    If a person experiences extreme psychological and physiological difficulty in ceasing to use a substance habitually,

    This reverses the third statement. WCD → A

  2. Unsupported Comparison9% picked this

    Fewer substances would be deemed addictive than are deemed so at present if an adequate definition

    The statements do not indicate how many substances are deemed to be addictive at present.

  3. Correct57% picked this

    A substance that some habitual users can cease to use with little or no psychological or physiological difficulty is addictive only if that is

    Why this is right

    This rephrases the third statement. A → WCD

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

  4. Term Shift9% picked this

    A chemical substance habitually used by a person throughout life without significant psychological or physiological

    The issue is not substance use, but rather the withdrawal from the use of that substance.

  5. Too Strong1% picked this

    "Addiction" is a term that is impossible to define

    That there is a disagreement about the definition of the term “addiction” does not mean that it is impossible to define with precision.

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