LR Question 6 Explanation, by LSATHacks
QUESTION TEXT: Standard archaeological techniques make it possible to…
QUESTION TYPE: Weaken
CONCLUSION: We can’t use standard archaeological techniques to date prehistoric paintings made on limestone.
REASONING: Standard archaeological techniques can’t date anything that has any minerals containing carbon. We can’t collect samples of paintings made on limestone without removing some limestone. Limestone is a mineral containing carbon.
ANALYSIS: All of our samples will have carbon. But the right answer tells us we can remove the carbon from those samples in the lab.
___________
- According to the argument, all of those techniques will contain limestone and thus the samples will be worthless.
- CORRECT. This would do it. The samples contain limestone, but we can remove it. Then we could date the paint samples.
- We’re not trying to date the limestone. We’re trying to date the paint. The limestone is certainly much older.
- This strengthens the argument. The argument is discussing techniques for dating vegetable matter: none of them work if there is carbon. This answer choice rules out the possibility of dating any other materials in the paint.
- That’s nice. But any carbon means we can’t date the sample.
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how do we know that these laboratory procedures are “standard archaeological techniques”? Also, is A also wrong because “several different techniques” do not mean “standard archeological techniques”?
There are two distinct processes being discussed here, and I think both your questions are regarding this confusion.
1. Procedure #1: The first thing that needs to happen is to extract the paint from the limestone so there’s no carbon – this is what A and B are addressing
2. Procedure #2: Determining the age of the paint – this is what the “standard archaeological techniques” do
The lab procedures in answer B are not standard archaeological techniques. They are the step before. Essentially, the argument is saying that standard archaeological techniques can’t determine the age of the paint because limestone (which contains carbon) is getting in their way. Answer B is weakening the argument by telling us, well actually, lab procedures exist that allow us to separate paint from limestone, which would allow us to fulfil the conditions needed for the standard archaeological techniques to date the paint. So the procedures in answer B are removing the obstacle presented in the stimulus, thereby weakening the argument.
A is wrong because it does not address the claim made in the argument that separating the paint from the limestone is impossible. B directly counters the “impossible” claim by stating that specific lab procedures can accomplish the separation. Neither answer choice discusses the standard archaeological techniques; they are talking about the step before of actually extracting the paint before it can be dated. Hope this clarification helps!