LSAT 137 | Section 2 | Logical Reasoning: Q24

LR Question 24 Explanation

QUESTION TEXT: Why are violins made by Stradivarius in the early…

QUESTION TYPE: Complete The Argument

CONCLUSION: The type of wood Stradivarius used helped account for the quality of his instruments.

REASONING: We have evidence that the wood in Stradivarius’ region was special, and we have no evidence of other causes for the quality of his works.

ANALYSIS: LR questions often get easier near the end. This question is straightforward. The only evidence we have is that special wood may have accounted for the quality of Stradivarius’ instruments.

All the wrong answers say things that could be true, or must be false, or have a logical relationship to the stimulus.

You’re not looking for a ‘could be true’ relationship. You want something that completes the argument. The first sentence tells us the purpose of the argument: we must find out why Stradivarius made good violins. The wood is the only solution mentioned.

___________

1. This is contradicted by the first sentence.
2. Irrelevant. The argument is trying to find out why Stradivarius violins are superior. (It’s of course possible other violin makers used the wood, but that they couldn’t make equally good violins.)
3. This is likely true (see the first sentence). But it doesn’t make sense. The argument aims to discover why Stradivarius made better violins.
4. CORRECT. This is likely. The third sentence says that the wood Stradivarius worked with had special acoustic properties.
5. Who knows? This is a complete non-sequitur. It doesn’t complete the argument. We need something that explains why the violins are special.