LSAT 128 | Section 3 | Logical Reasoning: Q1

LR Question 1 Explanation

QUESTION TEXT: In a transportation company, a certain syndrome …

QUESTION TYPE: Strengthen

CONCLUSION: The work in Department F is more stressful than other departments.

REASONING: A syndrome often attributed to stress is more prevalent in Department F than any other department.

ANALYSIS: The argument assumes that the syndrome’s higher prevalence in Department F is due to the stressfulness of the work rather than other potential factors. But correlation doesn’t guarantee causation. There could be alternative explanations. Maybe there’s a preexisting condition, or the workers in Department F happen to all have stressful personal lives.

To strengthen the argument, we need evidence that stress is indeed the causal factor and, specifically, stress from Department F’s work. The strongest support would come from information demonstrating a direct link between Department F and the onset of the syndrome.

And remember, we only need to strengthen the claim. Not prove it 100% true.

___________

1. You might be thinking if Department F has more employees, there’s naturally more people with the syndrome. This is a trap. The argument says that Department F has a higher percentage. So the absolute number of employees has no impact on the argument.
2. This weakens the argument. If there are multiple potential causes of the syndrome, we have less reason to believe that stress from Department F is the cause.
3. CORRECT. This provides direct evidence of a causal relationship between working in Department F and the syndrome. If workers who previously did not suffer from the syndrome begin to develop it after transferring to Department F, this suggests that something about Department F is the cause (most plausibly, higher stress levels). This undermines alternative explanations.
4. This does not explain why Department F, in particular, has a higher prevalence compared to other departments within the same company.
5. This presents a company-wide dissatisfaction related to stress, but does not specifically support the claim that Department F is the most stressful.