LSAT 157 | Section 3 | Logical Reasoning: Q1

LR Question 1 Explanation

QUESTION TEXT: Over the long run, apple orchards that use organic farming…

QUESTION TYPE: Strengthen

CONCLUSION: Organic orchards are likely to be more profitable than conventional orchards in the long run.

REASONING: Organic orchards do not cost more to run than conventional orchards, and are not less productive. Organic apples tend to taste better than conventional apples.

ANALYSIS: The author is telling us that conventional apples taste worse and aren’t cheaper or easier to produce. However, the conclusion is that organic apples will be more profitable. This is a bit of a leap, especially when we don’t know how much each type of apple costs, or if people are willing to try organic apples when they’re used to conventional apples. The correct answer will probably fill in a blank in our understanding similar to these.

___________

1. An increase in organic farming use doesn’t tell us whether they will sell more.
2. This doesn’t help us, because we don’t know if organic apples are better in the short run.
3. CORRECT. This tells us that people have demand for the tastiest apples. We know that organic apples taste better, so they will have higher demand and end up more profitable to produce.
4. We don’t know which apples have the lowest price, so this won’t help us.
5. This would seem to weaken the argument, as it indicates that consumers won’t select organic apples.

Recap: The question begins with “Over the long run, apple orchards that use organic farming”. It is a Strengthen question. Learn how to master LSAT Strengthen questions on the LSAT Logical Reasoning question types page.