LSAT 109 | Section 4 | Logical Reasoning: Q14

LR Question 14 Explanation

QUESTION TEXT: When soil is plowed in the spring, pigweed seeds that…

QUESTION TYPE: Most Strongly Supported

FACTS:

1. When pigweed is plowed, the seeds are briefly exposed.
2. Then they are put back under the darkness of the soil.
3. If sunlights hits the seeds, that tells them to start growing.
4. The seeds won’t grow if it hasn’t been dark for a long time, or if they don’t see the sun.

ANALYSIS: There are many possible right answers for this question. When you see a question with many facts, the best strategy is often to know them well and see how they can interact.

It’s fairly well supported that plowing causes more seeds to grow.

___________

1. CORRECT. If the field is plowed at night, the seeds will never see the sun. That means they won’t get the signal to grow.
2. We have no idea what happens in a field that isn’t plowed. Maybe the pigweed seeds will find a way to get to the surface if they’re left alone.
3. In both cases, the seeds are plowed when it is dark. We only know what happens when seeds are plowed during daytime.
4. The stimulus says that sunlight exposure triggers germination. It doesn’t say that being buried again is necessary, so the seeds might germinate even if they’re left on the surface.
5. We have no idea. There could be many reasons why a seed doesn’t germinate.

Recap: The question begins with “When soil is plowed in the spring, pigweed seeds that”. It is a Most Strongly Supported question. Learn more about LSAT MSS questions in our guide to LSAT Logical Reasoning question types.