LR Question 2 Explanation, by LSATHacks
QUESTION TEXT: Nutritionist: Recently a craze has developed for home juicers…
QUESTION TYPE: Weaken
CONCLUSION: Juicers are not worth the money.
REASONING: We have no evidence that there are benefits from drinking juice separated from its pulp.
ANALYSIS: The nutritionist is ignoring the possibility that people might be more likely to drink carrot juice versus eating a carrot. Always doing something that is half-effective is better than never doing something that is 100% effective.
___________
- CORRECT. If this is true then juicers could let people consume more nutrients than if people ate solid foods.
- This supports the argument that juicers are a bad idea.
- This doesn't mean that buying a juicer still wouldn't be a stupid idea. Just because you can afford something, doesn't mean you should buy it.
- This just shows that the nutritionist has experience with juicers. It doesn't affect the argument or show any bias.
- This shows that we should eat real food rather than taking pills. But what does that have to do with juice?
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Hi, this question is bad and should be stricken from the LSAT. NONE of the answer choices weaken or call into question the author’s argument. Answer A) especially does not weaken the argument.
The nutritionist mentions there to be a “hype” or “craze” surrounding juicers due to people believing there to be additional nutritional properties and therefore benefits to drinking juice versus eating a solid fruit/vegetable. She goes on to mention these nutritional “advantages” to juice. She then renders these claims of nutritional benefit to be absurd and wrong as every nutritional property present in juice is present in its whole, un-separated fruit/vegetable. Her conclusion, thus, is to save your money and just eat the fruit/vegetable, because you do not receive any additional nutritional benefits/properties in consuming juice than you do eating a solid fruit/vegetable. Makes total sense. If what is guiding you to purchase a $300 dollar juicer is the promise of additional nutritional benefit, save your money.
Most people finding it easier to consume liquid nutrients versus nutrients in solid fruits/vegetables has NOTHING TO DO with her argument. Even if this is true, and most people think its easier to drink liquids instead of eating solids, her argument still stands and is literally completely unchallenged. You should not take her conclusion out of context and act as though it is completely unconnected to her premises. Her conclusion is save your money, the claim that juice has additional properties/benefits to solid fruits/vegetables is WRONG, just eat the fruit/vegetable itself instead of buying a $300 juicer under the guidance of false promises.
Also, just because people find it “easier” to consume liquid nutrients versus solid does not mean that they will be compelled to do the former. I may find the act of drinking spinach juice easier than the act of eating individual spinach leaves, but that does not make me any more inclined to consume a glass of wretched, green, pure spinach juice. I think you are misinterpreting or distorting her argument. Your reasoning for A) being correct as it allows people the possibility of consuming more nutrients has absolutely zero to do with the crux of her argument.
I read everything you wrote and had the same problem at first but I think you missed the same part I missed at first.
Part of the conclusion says to “Save your money. If you want carrot juice, eat a carrot” heavily implying there is NO reason to buy the juicer over just eating the fruits. So, all we need to do to weaken that conclusion is find ANY reason that COULD make people want to buy the juicer over the actual fruits.