Logical Reasoning

PT156 · S2 · Q23 When a resource's price reflects its full

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

When a resource's price reflects its full cost to society, consumers pay directly for externalities—the unintended but harmful consequences to society of using a resource.

Conclusion (So)

Sound management of a resource requires that the price reflect whatever unintended harm to the environment the use of that resource causes.

Evidence (since)

Sound management of a resource requires that the price deters misuse.

Deterring misuse requires that the price reflects the resource's externalities (the unintended but harmful consequences to society of using a resource).

Evaluate

The conclusion is trying to prove that "Sound management requires X", and the evidence has provided us with a conditional chain that says, "Sound management requires Y and Z".

Sound → price deters → reflects externalities mgmt misuse (unintended but harmful consequences to society)

Most Sufficient Assumption answers are trying to get us from What We Know to What We Wanna Prove.

We know from the evidence that sound management requires reflecting , and we're trying to prove that sound management requires reflecting "the unintended harm to the environment".

Goal

So we need to know that

Since "unintended harm to the environment" is a New Concept in the Conclusion, it needs to be in our correct answer and we can pretty much flatly reject any answer that doesn't have it.

23.

The conclusion follows logically if which one of the following is assumed?

Correct
Whatever constitutes unintended harm to
Why this is right
This is actually the only answer that uses the New Concept in the Conclusion, so even if we were massively confused on this question, we could guess this correct answer! We wanted to know that, "In order to reflect the unintended harm to society, you'd need to reflect the unintended harm to the environment". Conditionally, that could look like reflecting unintended → reflecting unintended harm to society harm to environment Meanwhile, the answer looks like unintended harm → unintended harm to environment to society So it's natural to worry that this is an Illegal Reversal of what we wanted. But modern Sufficient Assumption questions make you think more about the meaning of things, rather than just giving you perfect term matches. Our prediction was about "reflecting"; this answer isn't. This answer is saying that all unintended harm to the environment counts as unintended harm to society. So if you didn't mention unintended harm to the environment, then you wouldn't be fully mentioning all unintended harm to society. In order to fully account for (i.e. "reflect") all the unintended harm to society, you'd have to include unintended harm to the environment. ^ that was our prediction!
Skill tested: Sufficient Assumption · how this choice captures the argument's function is the move to repeat next time.
58% picked this
A resource's externalities are always
Unrelated to Goal
We need to know that "reflecting unintended harm to society" involves "reflecting unintended harm to the environment" (the New Concept in the Conclusion). This never mentions unintended harm to the environment, so it can't possibly give us what we need.
7% picked this
When setting a resource's price,
Unrelated to Goal
We need to know that "reflecting unintended harm to society" involves "reflecting unintended harm to the environment" (the New Concept in the Conclusion). This never mentions unintended harm to the environment, so it can't possibly give us what we need.
16% picked this
If a resource is soundly
Unrelated to Goal
We need to know that "reflecting unintended harm to society" involves "reflecting unintended harm to the environment" (the New Concept in the Conclusion). This never mentions unintended harm to the environment, so it can't possibly give us what we need.
17% picked this
The price of a given
Unrelated to Goal
We need to know that "reflecting unintended harm to society" involves "reflecting unintended harm to the environment" (the New Concept in the Conclusion). This never mentions unintended harm to the environment, so it can't possibly give us what we need.
2% 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