LSAT Test practice questions, page 21 of 30, with answer review and explanations.
Question 101
Because of increases in the price of oil and because of government policies promoting energy conservation, the use of oil to heat homes fell by 40 percent from 1970 to the present, and many homeowners switched to natural gas for heating. Because switching to natural gas involved investing in equipment, a significant switch back to oil in the near future is unlikely. The prediction that ends the passage would be most seriously called into question if it were true that in the last few years
the price of natural gas to heat homes has remained constant, while the cost of equipment to heat homes with natural gas has fallen sharply
the price of home heating oil has remained constant, while the cost of equipment to heat homes with natural gas has risen sharply
the cost of equipment to heat homes with natural gas has fallen sharply, while the price of home heating oil has fallen to 1970 levels
the cost of equipment to heat homes with oil has fallen sharply, while the price of heating with oil has fallen below the price of heating with natural gas
the use of oil to heat homes has continued to decline, while the price of heating oil has fallen to 1970 levels
Question 102
Parents should not necessarily raise their children in the ways experts recommend, even if some of those experts are themselves parents. After all, parents are the ones who directly experience which methods are successful in raising their own children. Which one of the following most closely conforms to the principle that the passage above illustrates?
Although music theory is intrinsically interesting and may be helpful to certain musicians, it does not distinguish good music from bad: that is a matter of taste and not of theory.
One need not pay much attention to the advice of automotive experts when buying a car if those experts are not interested in the mundane factors that concern the average consumer.
In deciding the best way to proceed, a climber familiar with a mountain might do well to ignore the advice of mountain climbing experts unfamiliar with that mountain.
A typical farmer is less likely to know what types of soil are most productive than is someone with an advanced degree in agricultural science.
Unlike society, one's own conscience speaks with a single voice; it is better to follow the advice of one's own conscience than the advice of society.
Question 103
Sometimes when their trainer gives the hand signal for "Do something creative together," two dolphins circle a pool in tandem and then leap through the air simultaneously. On other occasions the same signal elicits synchronized backward swims or tail-waving. These behaviors are not simply learned responses to a given stimulus. Rather, dolphins are capable of higher cognitive functions that may include the use of language and forethought. Which one of the following, if true, most strengthens the argument?
Mammals have some resemblance to one another with respect to bodily function and brain structure.
The dolphins often exhibit complex new responses to the hand signal.
The dolphins are given food incentives as part of their training.
Dolphins do not interact with humans the way they interact with one another.
Some of the behaviors mentioned are exhibited by dolphins in their natural habitat.
Question 104
Editorialist: Drivers with a large number of demerit points who additionally have been convicted of a serious driving-related offense should either be sentenced to jail or be forced to receive driver reeducation, since to do otherwise would be to allow a crime to go unpunished. Only if such drivers are likely to be made more responsible drivers should driver re-education be recommended for them. Unfortunately, it is always almost impossible to make drivers with a large number of demerit points more responsible drivers. If the editorialist's statements are true, they provide the most support for which one of the following?
Drivers with a large number of demerit points who have been convicted of a serious driving-related offense should be sent to jail.
Driver re-education offers the best chance of making drivers with a large number of demerit points responsible drivers.
Driver re-education is not a harsh enough punishment for anyone convicted of a serious driving-related offense who has also accumulated a large number of demerit points.
Driver re-education should not be recommended for those who have committed no serious driving-related offenses.
Drivers with a large number of demerit points but no conviction for a serious driving-related offense should receive driver re-education rather than jail.
Question 105
Plant manager: We could greatly reduce the amount of sulfur dioxide our copper-smelting plant releases into the atmosphere by using a new process. The new process requires replacing our open furnaces with closed ones and moving the copper from one furnace to the next in solid, not molten, form. However, not only is the new equipment expensive to buy and install, but the new process also costs more to run than the current process, because the copper must be reheated after it has cooled. So overall, adopting the new process will cost much but bring the company no profit. Supervisor: I agree with your overall conclusion, but disagree about one point you make, since the latest closed furnaces are extremely fuel-efficient. The point about which the supervisor expresses disagreement with the plant manager is
whether the new copper-smelting process releases less sulfur dioxide gas into the atmosphere than the current process
whether the new copper-smelting process is more expensive to run than the current process
whether the new process should be adopted in the copper-smelting plant
whether closed copper-smelting furnaces are more fuel-efficient than open furnaces
whether cooling and reheating the copper will cost more than moving it in molten form