LSAT 3 | Section 4 | Logical Reasoning: Q11

LR Question 11 Explanation

QUESTION TEXT: Nature constantly adjusts the atmospheric carbon level…

QUESTION TYPE: Weaken

CONCLUSION: Environmentalists should relax about carbon emissions, nature will take care of them.

REASONING: Nature has regulated its own carbon level in the past.

ANALYSIS: The author admitted that sustained emissions could be harmful: the natural cycle cannot handle everything we throw at it. The correct answer choices expands on this idea.

All of the wrong answer choices tell us facts about carbon, taken out of context. We must ignore those, and attack the conclusion that nature will take care of carbon emissions. Remember, the author’s main argument is that earth has always taken care of carbon emissions.

___________

1. This doesn’t really tell us anything about whether the earth can regulate our carbon emissions.
2. This is irrelevant since the argument is claiming that there won’t be an excess carbon problem.
3. This is irrelevant. We’re trying to attack the idea that excess carbon emissions will be taken care of by the Earth.
4. This is out of context. Since the earth regulates carbon presumably it has a way to get rid of the carbon released by animals. Plants take care of that carbon.
5. CORRECT. In the long run the earth will take care of our carbon emissions. Unfortunately we will be dead by then. If this is true then we could suffer much short term harm from emitting carbon.

Recap: The question begins with “Nature constantly adjusts the atmospheric carbon level”. It is a Weaken question. Learn how to master LSAT Weaken questions on the LSAT Logical Reasoning question types page.