LSAT 2 | Section 4 | Logical Reasoning: Q21

LR Question 21 Explanation

QUESTION TEXT: Efficiency and redundancy are contradictory characteristics…

QUESTION TYPE: Must be True

ANALYSIS: This question is dense. Here is what we know:

1. Efficiency and redundancy are contradictory but can be used together to achieve usefulness and readability in communication.
2. If a spoken language is completely efficient then every possible sound combination can be a word.
3. But since we can’t hear perfectly there are some combinations of sounds that are not words.

If we combine 2 and 3, we can conclude that a language cannot be perfectly efficient if we are unable to hear every possible combination of sounds.

___________

1. We have no idea what redundancy achieves. It isn’t mentioned.
2. We know efficiency cannot be completely achieved (if our auditory systems are imperfect), but we don’t know about redundancy.
3. We have no idea about what happens with complete redundancy.
4. If the human auditory system were perfect then we know it would be possible that every possible permutation of sounds could be an understandable word. But we don’t know if they would be. People would have to invent words for all of those sounds.
5. CORRECT. Yes. For a language to be perfectly efficient then all sound combinations must be words. But with an imperfect auditory system we cannot understand some sound combinations.

Recap: The question begins with “Efficiency and redundancy are contradictory characteristics”. It is a Must be True question. Learn how to master LSAT MBT questions on the LSAT Logical Reasoning question types page.