LR Question 22 Explanation
QUESTION TEXT: Columnist: There are certain pesticides that, even though they…
QUESTION TYPE: Weaken
PREVIEW: GAP: The argument concludes that the manufacture....Get the Complete Solution
Most LSATHacks explanations are free. This particular explanation is licensed to LSATHacks by a third party, so we can only show it to members. Join LSATHacks Pro to unlock this explanation and 700+ others.
Unlock This Explanation
Already a member?
Login
Recap: The question begins with “Columnist: There are certain pesticides that, even though they”. It is a Weaken question. Learn more about LSAT Weaken questions in our guide to LSAT Logical Reasoning question types.
More Resources for Weaken Questions
- Intro Course lesson: This intro course lesson covers Weaken questions.
- Mastery Seminar lesson: This LR Mastery seminar lesson covers weaken questions.
Thank you for the explanation. I am still having trouble with how to predict that they would be looking for an answer that showed that another country could come and export pesticides so that would of course then weaken. This seems to be an answer type that is not typical. So do you suggest that I just memorize this type of possibility? I hope that i am conveying this as I am thinking about it. Wondering if this is the best way to go about getting the correct answer choice? Is this an a typical stimulus for a weaken question? Thank you for your help!
Hi! I wouldn’t say this is an atypical answer choice. You can boil the columnist’s argument down to cause and effect:
US manufactures and exports pesticide -> other countries produce products using the pesticide -> these products are imported back into the US -> harm US consumers.
So if we simplify it even further: US manufactures and exports pesticide -> harms US consumers.
Whenever you see a causal argument in a Weaken question, you should think about ways to make it doubtful that X actually causes Y. One (common) way to do is that is to show that, even without X, Y still happens. Here, X is US producing and exporting pesticide, and Y is harm to US consumers.
So, if other countries also manufacture and export the pesticide, that means products containing it would likely still be imported back into the US, regardless of whether the US manufactured the pesticide. Note that it doesn’t completely destroy the argument, but we only need it to weaken it, not destroy it.
Also note that you won’t always be able to predict the exact wording or content of the answer choice. So even if you didn’t predict the other countries portion, you should still go into the answer choices with an idea of what the correct answer might look like. So, here, you would want to go into the answer choices knowing you’re looking for an answer that makes us doubt whether US manufacturing pesticide -> increased harm to US consumers.
Hope that helps! Let me know if you have further questions.