LSAT 106 | Section 1 | Logical Reasoning: Q4

LR Question 4 Explanation

QUESTION TEXT: Dental researcher: Filling a cavity in a tooth is not a…

QUESTION TYPE: Principle – Strengthen

CONCLUSION: Dentists shouldn’t fill cavities unless the tooth’s nerves are at immediate risk.

REASONING: Filling a cavity hurts healthy parts of a tooth. Cavities are only dangerous if the decay reaches the nerve.

ANALYSIS: This isn’t quite a good argument. The dental researcher hasn’t shown that the harm caused by a filling outweighs the benefits of fixing a cavity even when danger to the nerve is less imminent.

___________

1. This doesn’t help. A filling will always cause immediate damage, even if a nerve is in imminent danger.
2. This doesn’t tell a dentist what to do when a cavity is present.
3. CORRECT. Cavities are only potentially harmful unless the nerve is in danger. This tells us not to fix cavities until the nerve is at risk, because cavities always cause harm.
4. Fillings provide more than temporary relief. And cavities aren’t progressive. They post no danger until they reach the nerve.
5. Cavities are potentially harmful, so this weakens the argument.