LSAT 112 | Section 2 | Reading Comprehension: Q17

RC Question 17 Explanation

DISCUSSION: Vasopressin is mentioned on line 41, but you should read 36-43 for context. It’s confusing, but don’t look at the answers until you understand it. Once you understand it, the answer is very clear.

In plain English: if you drink lots of water, salt concentration in the blood gets low. So the body tries to get you to pee out water. Your body stops producing vasopressin. Vasopressin holds water in the kidneys. So when it goes away, you go to the restroom.

So if you have to get rid of water, you stop producing vasopressin. But if you need to keep water, your body will probably produce more vasopressin.

___________

1. Steroid hormones aren’t mentioned in lines 36-43. This is just here to mislead you. As far as we know, they have nothing to do with vasopressin.
2. CORRECT. If you need to keep water, your body will probably increase vasopressin production. The passage already told us we stop producing it if we need to lose water. (Increased osmolality just means we have higher salt concentrations.) 
3. Same as A. Steroid hormones are never mentioned in lines 36-43. And more plasma is a fancy way of saying more blood. The passage doesn’t say vasopressin does that. 
4. None of this is mentioned in lines 36-43. They’re just using scientific words to confuse you. Vasopressin affects water, not salt. And steroid hormones aren’t mentioned in this section; vasopressin is a peptide.
5. We’re only told that vasopressin is blocked when an animal drinks too much. When an animal is thirsty, some other hormone might take charge.