LSAT 116 | Section 3 | Logical Reasoning: Q19

LR Question 19 Explanation

QUESTION TEXT: Today’s farmers plant only a handful of different strains of…

QUESTION TYPE: Weaken

CONCLUSION: We are more vulnerable to a disease that only strikes a few strains of crops than we were in the past.

REASONING: Farmers plant many fewer strains of crops, increasing the vulnerability of the system.

ANALYSIS: This is a fairly strong argument, and to weaken it we will need something that shows either why crops are more protected in modern times, or why it would not be a problem if several strains were hit at once.

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1. This doesn’t explain why present diseases would not be even more devastating.
2. CORRECT. This weakens the argument. Even if a large percentage of present crops were affected, they could quickly be replaced.
3. This actually strengthens the argument, showing that crops are more vulnerable now.
4. We may have more variety, but we still rely on a smaller number of crops (perhaps due to increased agricultural trade). This does nothing to harm the argument that crops are more vulnerable today.
5. This shows why crops might be less vulnerable to other problems, but the argument is specifically about vulnerability to disease.

Recap: The question begins with “Today’s farmers plant only a handful of different strains of”. It is a Weaken question. Learn how to master LSAT Weaken questions on the LSAT Logical Reasoning question types page.