LSAT 43, Logical Reasoning II, Q10, LSATHacks

QUESTION TEXT: Recently, photons and neutrinos emitted by a distant supernova…

QUESTION TYPE: Strengthen

CONCLUSION: The simultaneous arrival of neutrons and photons from the supernova provides evidence that space is curved.

ANALYSIS: Don’t let the science talk scare you. If you find science questions difficult, try slowing down and understanding them part by part. They’re often actually easy questions, because the LSAC knows that words like “photon” will freak out non-scientific individuals, and make them temporarily incapable of solving LSAT questions.

How does that apply here? Let’s look at what we know.

1. There was a supernova, which caused photons and neutrinos to arrive at earth at the same time.
2. Einstein claimed that gravity was a property of space itself, meaning that a body (such as a planet) exerts gravity by curving the space around it.
3. We’re told that the simultaneous arrival of neutrinos and photons supports the claim that the space through which they traveled was curved.

That’s it. It’s not a great argument; it doesn’t tell us how the simultaneous arrival means the space was curved.

___________

1. This doesn’t help the argument, because it doesn’t tell us why Einstein made that prediction. We’re trying to prove that space is curved, not that Einstein’s predictions were smart.
2. CORRECT. If we take the contrapositive of this statement, we get:

   “If photons and neutrinos emitted simultaneously by a distant event reach earth at the same time, then gravity is a property of space itself.”

   This directly supports the conclusion.

3. Since the photons and neutrons were detected, Einstein’s conclusion would be wrong if this answer choice were true. This is the opposite of what we want.
4. This doesn’t tell us anything about why their simultaneous arrival is significant.
5. That may be, but it doesn’t tell us why the arrival of the particles is evidence for Einstein’s theory.

Recap: The question begins with “Recently, photons and neutrinos emitted by a distant supernova”. It is a Strengthen question. Learn more about LSAT Strengthen questions in our guide to LSAT Logical Reasoning question types.

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