LSAT 132 | Section 1 | Reading Comprehension: Q7

RC Question 7 Explanation

DISCUSSION: The problems of radiocarbon dating are discussed in the the third paragraph. Radiation intensity has changed over the years, and this reduces accuracy. See lines 40-48.

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1. The first paragraph mentions radiocarbon dating uses “wood or other organic materials”. It never says that multiple types of materials are a problem.
2. This would be in paragraph 1. That paragraph talks about getting material from shifted sediments. But paragraph 1 never talks about variable amounts being a problem.
3. Tempting, but there are two problems:
   1. The passage never says that some fault lines aren’t visible.
   2. The passage only says that seismologists usually dig along visible fault lines (lines 2-3). Maybe radiocarbon dating can also be used on non-visible fault lines.
4. CORRECT. See lines 40-48. They describe this problem directly. 
5. This sounds right, but it’s referring to the wrong thing. Lines 44-45 say that the amount of radiation striking the upper atmosphere varies. The passage doesn’t say that radiation may have never struck the upper atmosphere.