LSAT 101 | Section 3 | Logical Reasoning: Q5

LR Question 5 Explanation

QUESTION TEXT: Bacteria from food can survive for several days on the surface of…

QUESTION TYPE: Necessary Assumption

CONCLUSION: You don’t need to wash wooden cutting board to prevent contamination. Plastic cutting boards do have to be washed.

REASONING: Bacteria can get into wooden cutting boards right away, leaving the surface free of germs. Germs can survive on the surface of plastic cutting boards for days.

ANALYSIS: Do you like the idea of your cutting board being full of germs? Sounds sketchy to me; I’d rather germs not sink inside my cutting board. At the very least, I’d probably want to wash a wooden board.

___________

1. The argument didn’t claim that plastic boards couldn’t be cleaned. The main point was that wooden boards hardly even had to be cleaned.
2. The argument didn’t claim that wooden cutting boards are better. It just said they don’t have to be washed.
3. The argument isn’t hurt if there are other ways to contaminate food. This is silly.
4. CORRECT. If this is false, then bacteria might reemerge from within wooden cutting boards and contaminate food.
5. The point was that wooden cutting board don’t have to be washed.

Recap: The question begins with “Bacteria from food can survive for several days on the surface of”. It is a Necessary Assumption question. Learn how to master LSAT Necessary questions on the LSAT Logical Reasoning question types page.