LSAT 129 | Section 2 | Logical Reasoning: Q2

LR Question 2 Explanation

QUESTION TEXT: Long-distance runners use two different kinds of cognitive

QUESTION TYPE: Complete the Argument

CONCLUSION: Runners shouldn’t use associative strategies before a race.

REASONING: Associative strategies lead to mental exhaustion that lasts over a day. It’s important for long distance runners to be mentally refreshed at the start of a race.

ANALYSIS: Most of this argument is fluff. You don’t need to know that associative strategies focus on physical sensations and dissociative strategies ignore them.

All you need to do is focus on the logic at the end: associative strategies are exhausting. And runners need to be refreshed at the start of a race.

So this means that prior to a race, runners shouldn’t use these strategies.

___________

1. CORRECT. This matches exactly. Associative strategies will exhaust a runner if they use them before a race. So runners should save these strategies for the race itself.
2. This we don’t know. The only problem with associative strategies is that they exhaust runners after they’re used. But it’s possible that associative strategies are effective during a race, even with no prior training.
3. There are two problems with this answer:
   1. The argument gave us no reason to believe that alternating is the superior strategy.
   2. This answer doesn’t respond to the argument’s logic. It ignores the point about associative strategies being tiring.
4. The argument did not say whether long distance runners tend to use both strategies or only one. This answer has zero support.
5. Careful. We don’t know what’s effective in training. We only know that immediately before a race it is a bad idea to waste your energy on associative strategies.