LSAT 128 | Section 2 | Logical Reasoning: Q7

LR Question 7 Explanation

QUESTION TEXT: Builder: Within ten years, most of the new homes constructed …

QUESTION TYPE: Weaken

CONCLUSION: Within 10 years, most new houses in North America will be made of steel instead of wood.

REASONING: Steel is becoming cheaper while lumber is becoming more expensive and decreasing in quality. Also, steel does not warp, rot or split like wood.

ANALYSIS: The argument is concluding that there will be a major shift from wood towards steel in building houses because of its lower cost and higher quality.

To weaken the argument, we need to show a reason why this shift is unlikely to happen. Maybe the lower cost of steel and higher durability is offset by some major disadvantage of using steel. Note that you don’t have to completely destroy the argument, just undermine it.

___________

1. Rising labor costs would affect all home construction, whether using steel or wood, or any other material. It does not specifically weaken the claim that steel will replace wood.
2. This actually supports the argument. It highlights another advantage of steel (that it reduces indoor air pollution by avoiding chemical treatments).
3. If most new homes are already built with steel, then this shift has already happened. So this doesn’t weaken the claim that steel will dominate in the future. If anything, it supports it.
4. CORRECT. If training construction workers to use steel is very expensive, then this weakens the assumption that the lower cost of steel will lead to its widespread use.
5. A decrease in the number of houses built doesn’t necessarily affect what materials will be used. It just means fewer houses overall, which doesn’t tell us anything about whether they’re made of wood or steel.