LSAT 7 | Section 1 | Logical Reasoning: Q15

LR Question 15 Explanation

QUESTION TEXT: Eight years ago hunting was banned in Greenfield County …

QUESTION TYPE: Strengthen

CONCLUSION: The hunting ban was unnecessary and created a public safety danger.

REASONING: The ban was enacted to protect public safety. But in the 8 years since the ban the deer population grew, deer invade residential areas and cause property damage and accidents. Before the ban, there were no hunting-related injuries.

ANALYSIS: To strengthen the conclusion, we need to show that the ban actually harmed public safety. That means showing that hunting would have controlled the deer population, and without hunting this population growth leads to real harm (i.e. injuries and damages).

___________

1. CORRECT. This supports the idea that hunting prevents overpopulation, which in turn would have prevented the property damage and injuries. It strengthens the conclusion that the ban caused a new danger that wouldn’t have existed otherwise.
2. Tempting but too weak. We already know that deer-related accidents cause serious injury. This doesn’t add new support for the idea that the ban caused a danger that wouldn’t otherwise exist.
3. This talks about harms to the deer, not to public safety. We’re concerned with public safety.
4. This might partially explain why deer are in residential areas, so this actually weakens the argument by providing an alternative cause other than the hunting ban.
5. This is similar to B. This explains a type of property damage the deer can cause, but it doesn’t help strengthen the claim that the ban created a new danger to public safety.