Exam LSAT Section 1 Logical Reasoning topic 1 question 101 discussion

Actual exam question from Test Prep's LSAT Section 1 Logical Reasoning

Question #: 101
Topic #: 1

[All LSAT Section 1 Logical Reasoning Questions]

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

A. 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
B. the price of home heating oil has remained constant, while the cost of equipment to heat homes with natural gas has risen sharply
C. 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
D. 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
E. the use of oil to heat homes has continued to decline, while the price of heating oil has fallen to 1970 levels

Show Suggested Answer

Suggested Answer: D 🗳️
Calling into question the prediction just means that you have to weaken the conclusion of the argument. The prediction in this case is that it is unlikely that people will switch back to oil (from natural gas) in the near future. What evidence does the author base this prediction on? The fact that many consumers switched to natural gas between 1970 and the present, and that such a switch to natural gas involved investing in equipment. The author must be assuming that investing in natural gas equipment makes it too expensive or too hard to switch back to using oil. The correct answer choice, then, should do something to attack this assumption. D. does this by telling you that the cost of oil heating equipment has fallen sharply (reducing the cost of switching back to oil) and the price of oil has fallen below the price of gas (making it cheaper to heat your home using oil). Again, you dont need to find an answer choice that suggests that consumers will definitely switch back to oil. You just need the one that calls into question the prediction that they wont. Choice D. does this by giving two facts about the reduced cost of using oil.

by [deleted] at March 9, 2025, 1:25 p.m.

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