LSAT 17 | Section 2 | Logical Reasoning: Q1

LR Question 1 Explanation

QUESTION TEXT: The basic ingredients from which cement is made are both…

QUESTION TYPE: Must be True

FACTS: Cement can be made from materials that are cheap and plentiful (such as limestone and clay.) Yet the price of oil influences cement: high temperature kilns require lots of energy.

ANALYSIS: The correct answer almost seems too easy and it feels like a trick. That happens sometimes. The stimulus tells us that oil affects the price and that kilns use energy.

Energy and oil aren’t always the same thing. But from this passage it’s logical to assume that oil is used for energy in at least some kilns. It’s so logical that we take it for a given and the correct answer may seem surprising.

___________

1. We can only conclude that oil is used to power the kilns that heat cement. All the basic ingredients are cheap and plentiful, unlike oil.
2. CORRECT. Yes. The stimulus strongly implies this when it mentions kilns use a lot of energy. Otherwise we have no idea why oil affects the price of cement.
3. We have no idea. Maybe clay is so plentiful that the price never rises above how much it costs to produce.
4. This is actually false. Oil affects the price of clay because it is used to make it. So if oil prices rise then cement prices should also rise.
5. We have strong evidence this is false. If oil is used for heating then it isn’t a “basic ingredient.” Yet it raises the cost of cement.

Recap: The question begins with “The basic ingredients from which cement is made are both”. It is a Must be True question. Learn how to master LSAT MBT questions on the LSAT Logical Reasoning question types page.