LSAT 141 | Section 3 | Reading Comprehension: Q4

RC Question 4 Explanation

DISCUSSION: Another specific detail question. As with questions 2 and 3, you can answer this by referencing a specific line in the passage.

If you don’t do this, you will make mistakes. With practice, it only take 5-10 seconds to confirm your answer and achieve 100% certainty.

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1. The passage never talks about transmitting CJD. And the passage implies that prions aren’t contagious. The immune system doesn’t attack them because they are part of the body (second-to-last sentence of 3rd paragraph). But the immune system normally attacks things that come from other people’s bodies, such as transplanted organs.
2. This goes too far. The point of the passage is that prions are pathogens, and therefore not all pathogens replicate via DNA. But it still could be true that most pathogens have DNA.
3. CORRECT. Paragraph 3 supports this. Prions are dangerous because they reproduce within the body and create plaque. The plaque kills nerve cells. Without replication, prions couldn’t create plaque.
4. The second-to-last sentence of 4th paragraph only says that prions may be involved in Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease. We can’t say for certain what causes those diseases, so this answer isn’t supported.
5. The passage never compares the aggressiveness of prions to other pathogens. It’s true that CJD is fatal, but that’s not because CJD is particularly aggressive. It’s because we have no defense against prions. So they have all the time in the world to kill us.