The logical reasoning section of the LSAT requires lengthy preparation. You will be presented with passages to read and then asked to choose the best result. Try the following questions for some practice.
Time: 35 minutes for 25 questions
Directions: Read the passage and choose the best answer. Some questions may have more than one answer that looks right. Select the one that answers the question most completely. Don’t assume anything that isn’t directly stated, and don’t let your imagination run wild; all the information you need is in the arguments and the answer choices.
Tempest: I bought two urns from an auction at Christie’s. Christie’s advertised them as dating from the Louis XV period of the late 18th century. I now believe that they actually date from the late 19th century and are worth much less than I paid for them. Several antiques experts agree with me. Therefore, Christie’s advertised them falsely and should refund my purchase price.
Which one of the following, if true, most seriously weakens Tempest’s argument?
(A)The auction catalog described the urns as “A pair of Louis XV porphyry and gilt-bronze two-handled vases.”
(B)Dating antiques is an imprecise art, and often, several experts disagree about the date of origin of the same item.
(C)Scientists have performed tests on the bronze linings of the urns, but they have not produced conclusive results regarding the vases’ ages.
(D)Christie’s states in its auction catalogs that all buyers should consult outside specialists before bidding on antiques, especially in the case of extremely valuable items.
(E)The experts who Tempest hired to date the urns are known as some of the best in their field.
The state should continue to use the death penalty to punish the most extreme criminals. The death penalty is the only way to provide closure for the families of victims. People who commit coldblooded, premeditated murders are incorrigible. Anyone whom a jury convicts of committing a truly heinous crime deserves to be executed by the state.
Which one of the following, if true, most weakens the argument?
(A)Surveys of the families of murder victims show that the surviving relatives overwhelmingly support the death penalty.
(B)Simply executing convicted criminals is far cheaper than maintaining them in maximum-security prison for life, with no chance of release or parole.
(C)Recent studies have shown that a large proportion of criminals sentenced to death are later shown to be innocent of their crimes.
(D)Modern methods of execution such as lethal injection are much less unpleasant to watch than earlier methods such as electrocution or hanging.
(E)Many states that had supported the death penalty are now moving in the other direction, and the number of executions has decreased dramatically in recent years.
The top-ranking, highest-paying law firms select their new associates exclusively from top-ten law schools. Therefore, if a student does not get into a top-ten law school, he or she should not bother attending law school at all.
The reasoning in the argument is most vulnerable to criticism on the grounds that the argument
(A)promises students that if they attend a top-ten law school, they are guaranteed a position at a top-ranking law firm
(B)suggests, without offering evidence, that the legal education provided by lower-ranking law schools is inadequate
(C)fails to criticize the biased recruiting practices of top-ranking law firms
(D)assumes that the only reason anyone would attend law school is to acquire a job at a top-ranking, high-paying law firm
(E)misrepresents the relationship between law school and future employment
Exterminator: In the summer, we implement a large-scale mosquito abatement program to protect the population from West Nile virus. In addition to spraying insecticide and larvicide to kill mosquitoes, we also collect dead birds and test them for the virus. we have not found the virus in any birds tested this year, so we expect that we will not see an outbreak of West Nile virus this summer.
The exterminator draws a logical conclusion if which one of the following is assumed?
(A)Mosquitoes transmit the virus to birds by biting them, which is the same way humans catch the virus, but birds are much more susceptible than humans to dying from West Nile virus.
(B)The massive spraying of insecticide and larvicide will kill enough mosquitoes that they will not be able to transmit the virus effectively.
(C)Birds are an indicator species of West Nile virus; the virus always appears in birds before humans start catching the disease.
(D)It is possible to have an outbreak of West Nile virus among humans, even if no birds die of the virus, though that would be an unusual scenario.
(E)The insecticide and larvicide used to kill the adult and larval mosquitoes do not have a deleterious effect on the health of birds that eat mosquitoes.
Answer Key
D. Christie’s states in its auction catalogs that all buyers should consult outside specialists before bidding on antiques, especially in the case of extremely valuable items.
C. Recent studies have shown that a large proportion of criminals sentenced to death are later shown to be innocent of their crimes.
D. assumes that the only reason anyone would attend law school is to acquire a job at a top-ranking, high-paying law firm
C. Birds are an indicator species of West Nile virus; the virus always appears in birds before humans start catching the disease.