LSAT 1 | Section 3 | Logical Reasoning: Q15

LR Question 15 Explanation

QUESTION TEXT: Computer operating system software has become increasingly …

QUESTION TYPE: Strengthen

CONCLUSION: Businesses should implement variations in their operating system software.

REASONING: Doing so would prevent widespread damage from viruses without sacrificing compatibility between computers.

ANALYSIS: The stimulus warns that when a business uses identical operating systems across its network, a hacker who accesses one machine could cause damage to all linked systems. But if each computer had a slight variation, this kind of full access could be “virtually eliminated”. Also, these variations don’t cause any loss in compatibility. So there seem to be no downsides and businesses should do this.

We want to strengthen this argument. The correct answer will likely reinforce the value of prevention, or somehow confirm that the proposed solution is worth implementing.

___________

1. This talks about compatibility between different businesses. The argument is focused on what happens internally within a single business, so this doesn’t affect the argument.
2. CORRECT. This directly supports the argument by showing that prevention is cheaper than fixing the problem later. If preventing a virus is cheaper than dealing with a virus, then implementing variations is a smart move, just like the conclusion recommends.
3. The argument emphasizes that variations can be introduced without losing compatibility. So we don’t know nor care what is the case for incompatible systems, because the argument isn’t recommending them.
4. This might actually weaken the argument. It suggests that even with varied systems, businesses could still be vulnerable.
5. This says that some businesses might not even need interlinked computer systems, so the conclusion isn’t relevant to them. That actually undermines the generality of the conclusion.