LSAT 101 | Section 3 | Logical Reasoning: Q11

LR Question 11 Explanation

QUESTION TEXT: Special kinds of cotton that grow fibers of green or…

QUESTION TYPE: Must be True

FACTS:

1. Green and brown cotton is now commercially viable, since it can be spun by machine.
2. It wasn’t commercially viable until recently, when a long-fibered type was made.
3. The cotton doesn’t have to be dyed.
4. So it costs less for processing plants, and they don’t have to deal with dye waste.

ANALYSIS: This is subtle. The green and brown cotton wasn’t valuable until someone invented a variety that could be spun on a machine.

This means that when it couldn’t be spun on a machine (i.e. when it was spun by hand), the cotton wasn’t valuable.

___________

1. This is tempting, but we only know there are fewer ecological problems due to dye. But green and brown cotton could cause other ecological problems that regular cotton doesn’t.
2. CORRECT. This is true because green and brown cottons weren’t commercially viable until we made varieties that could be spun using a machine.
3. We’re not told anything about hand-spun cotton, except that green and brown cottons weren’t commercially viable without machines.
4. We aren’t told anything about regular cottons or synthetics.
5. Hard to say. We save money on dyes, but maybe green and brown cotton costs more in other ways.

Recap: The question begins with “Special kinds of cotton that grow fibers of green or”. It is a Must be True question. Learn how to master LSAT MBT questions on the LSAT Logical Reasoning question types page.