• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar

LSAT Hacks

The Explanations That Should Have Come With The LSAT

  • Start Here
    • About
  • LSAT Explanations
  • LSAT Courses
  • Tutoring
    • Tutoring
    • Mastery seminars
    • Course
    • Books
  • Blog
  • Login
LSAT Explanations » LSAT Preptest 31 » Logical Reasoning 2 » Question 7

LSAT 31, Logical Reasoning II, Q7, LSATHacks

LSAT 31 Explanations

LR Question 7 Explanation, by LSATHacks

QUESTION TEXT: Passenger volume in the airline industry has…

QUESTION TYPE: Strengthen/Paradox

FACTS: Airports are expanding their passenger terminal facilities. Yet air traffic is down and won’t be up for at least five years. Airport expansion is a good idea only when traffic is increasing.

ANALYSIS: We need to show a benefit from expansion. Most of the wrong answers actually weaken the idea that expansion is smart. 

___________

  1. This is actually irrelevant: we’re only told that traffic is declining. The economy isn’t mentioned. In any case a declining economy would make it even dumber to expand, since it would increase the costs of financing. 
  2. CORRECT. It’s currently the most convenient time to expand. And by the time the expansions are done traffic may start to increase again. 
  3. Presumably this will cause fewer people to travel. It weakens the argument for expansion. 
  4. If airlines don’t need new capacity then it isn’t clear why they should expand.
  5. A decline in passenger travel doesn’t help us conclude that airports should expand. 

Previous Question
Table Of Contents
Next Question




Free Logical Reasoning lesson

Get a free sample of the Logical Reasoning Mastery Seminar. Learn tips for solving LR questions

Hi, I'm Graeme Blake

I created LSATHacks, and scored a 177 on the LSAT.

Check out LSATHacks All Access

It's your one stop shop for LSAT prep: 1000s more explanations, and courses for both intro and advanced students. Lifetime access to everything on LSATHacks and anything I add. Plus a consult with me to get you started on the right track.
---------
Socials and Updates: If you have any questions, you can can check out my TikTok videos or email me.

For updates, sign up for my email list. I update whenever I have new posts.

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Kat says

    August 25, 2017 at 3:23 pm

    I felt as though this wasn’t a great question. While (B) is a benefit to expanding now, it doesn’t really explain why it’s okay or resolve a discrepancy or whatever.

    If expansion can be warranted “ONLY by increases in air traffic volume” and the stimulus says that air traffic is probably/maybe going to go up again in several years…how does this provide a reason in favour of the timing?

    (B) feels like a wrong answer choice for a justify the principle question. And a wrong answer to a paradox question for that matter: it addresses PART of the paradox (why we should expand now) but doesn’t touch on the fact that it’s only warranted when there are increases in air traffic volume.

    Is this saying that it’s ALWAYS okay to expand because air traffic volume is eventually going to increase? Or is the question treating everything else as context and simply asking for any reason to expand whenever you feel like it?

    I definitely see how (B) provides the best reason in favour of the timing, but it still doesn’t feel “right.” Would something like this show up on the modern test? Am I missing something obvious?

    Reply
    • TutorLucas (LSAT Hacks) says

      August 30, 2017 at 2:18 pm

      We have two seemingly contradictory facts:
      1) Airport expansion can be warranted only by increases in air traffic volume & it will probably be at least 5 years before passenger volume returns to a normal level or increases
      2) Airports are expanding their passenger terminal facilities now.

      All we need to do is find a way to explain why airports would expand these facilities now when it seems contrary to what we know about trends in passenger volume. (B) gives a good reason as to why the timing is good — convenience. We know that passenger volume will likely eventually increase, so why not prepare for it now when you can keep inconvenience to the public to a minimum.

      Reply
  2. Richard says

    September 17, 2016 at 3:39 pm

    Is is just me or is answer D) poorly worded? I’ve encountered this question twice now over a large span of time, and both times I answered D), thinking that it meant that the proposed expansions would allow airlines to absorb the initial increase in traffic, i.e. they are expanding now because they know they will need it in the near future. It could be made more clear that this references the current capacity of the airlines without the proposed expansions, and thus the expansions are not really necessary.

    Reply
    • TutorLucas (LSAT Hacks) says

      November 7, 2016 at 11:25 pm

      (D) is suggesting that even without the expansion, airlines can initially absorb the increase in passenger volume. If anything, (D) would give airlines even less of a reason to start building an expansion 5 years before any potential increase in passenger volume. So, it definitely doesn’t explain why the expansion is being built now.

      Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Primary Sidebar

Free LSAT Email Course

My best LSAT tips, straight to your inbox


New! LSATHacks All Access: Get every course on LSATHacks + members only explanations

LSATHacks Pro

Get a higher score with LSATHacks

LSAT Course, LSAT Mastery seminars, and 3,000 extra explanations. All for only $760 $349, satisfaction guaranteed. Sign up here: https://lsathacks.com/all-access/

Testimonials

Your emails are tremendously helpful. - Matt

Thanks for the tips! They were very helpful, and even make you feel like you studied a bit. Great insight and would love more! - Haj

Dear Graeme: MUCH MORE PLEASE!! Your explanations are very clear, and you give equal importance to why answers are WRONG, as well as why THE ANSWER is right!! Very well done. Thank you for all your efforts - Tom

These have been awesome. More please!!! - Caillie

The course was immensely helpful and has eased my nerves a lot. - Lovlean

© Copyright 2023 LSAT Hacks. All Rights Reserved. | FAQ/Legal

Disclaimer: Use of this site requires official LSAT preptests; the explanations are of no use without the preptests. If you do not have the accompanying preptests, you can find them here: LSAT preptests
LSAT is copyright of LSAC. LSAC does not review or endorse specific test preparation materials or services and has not reviewed this site.
×
Item Added to your Cart!
There are no products
Continue Shopping