LSAT 117 | Section 2 | Logical Reasoning: Q19

LR Question 19 Explanation

QUESTION TEXT: It is unlikely that the world will ever be free …

QUESTION TYPE: Role in Argument

CONCLUSION: We are unlikely to eliminate disease completely.

REASONING: Most diseases are caused by microorganisms. These microorganisms quickly evolve immunity to medicines while remaining capable of infecting and killing humans.

ANALYSIS: The statement in question (the first sentence) is the author’s main conclusion.

Everything that follows explains why that conclusion is true.

The structure is:

• Microorganisms quickly develop resistance to medicines and remain dangerous.
• So, the world will probably never be free of disease.

___________

1. The argument never says microorganisms are too numerous to eliminate.
2. CORRECT. The claim is the conclusion, and it’s supported by a description of microorganisms’ responses to medicines.
3. The statement is not a premise. It’s the conclusion.
4. The statement doesn’t predict microorganisms’ responses. It uses those responses to support a prediction about disease.
5. If you chose this, you might’ve been too quick in reading the stimulus. The argument doesn’t say that most microorganisms are already immune to medicines. It says they quickly evolve immunities. “Already immune” and “quickly become immune” are very different claims.