LSAT 21, Logical Reasoning I, Q7, LSATHacks

QUESTION TEXT: Brownlea’s post office must be replaced with a larger…

QUESTION TYPE: Weaken

CONCLUSION: We can replace the post-office more cheaply outside of town.

REASONING: Land near the current post office is more expensive than land on the outskirts of town. And the costs of buying land are a “significant” cost of the replacement.

ANALYSIS: We’re not told how much more expensive land is in the center. It could be only 5%, which isn’t very much. And a significant factor could mean as little as 25%.

Other construction costs (e.g. transport of materials) could increase if the post office was built in the suburbs, so the vague information in the stimulus can’t guarantee savings.

Remember that the conclusion is about the cost of replacing the post office, not the cost of running the new office.

___________

1. The building code is probably a factor wherever we build the post office.
2. CORRECT. A parking lot adds to construction costs. This weakens the argument, slightly.
3. This isn’t an additional construction cost.
4. Same as C. This is a cost of operating the post office, but it isn’t a construction cost.
5. This is an advantage for the location on the outskirts of town. Nighttime work on the in town office would probably cost more.

Recap: The question begins with “Brownlea’s post office must be replaced with a larger”. It is a Weaken question. Learn how to master LSAT Weaken questions on the LSAT Logical Reasoning question types page.

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