Logical ReasoningDifficulty: Medium

PT16 S3 Q17 Explanation

A new silencing device for domestic appliances

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

TopicsParadox

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Stimulus

A new silencing device for domestic appliances operates by producing sound waves that cancel out the sound waves produced by the appliance. The device, unlike conventional silencers, actively eliminates the noise the appliance makes, and for that reason vacuum cleaners designed to much lower electricity consumption than conventional vacuum cleaners.

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
17.

Which one of the following, if true, most helps to explain why the new silencing device will make

Answer choices

  1. Correct79% picked this

    Designers of vacuum cleaner motors typically have to compromise the motors’ efficiency in order to

    Why this is right

    Answer A is correct.

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

  2. Trap10% picked this

    The device runs on electricity drawn from the appliance’s main

  3. Trap2% picked this

    Conventional vacuum cleaners often use spinning brushes to loosen dirt in addition to using suction

  4. Trap3% picked this

    Governmental standards for such domestic appliances as vacuum cleaners allow higher electricity consumption when vacuum

  5. Trap6% picked this

    The need to incorporate silencers in conventional vacuum cleaners makes them heavier and less mobile than

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