LSAT 8 | Section 4 | Logical Reasoning: Q7

LR Question 7 Explanation

QUESTION TEXT: Derek: We must exploit available resources in developing…

QUESTION TYPE: Principle

ARGUMENTS: Derek says we should harvest Yew trees to develop anti-cancer drugs, even if the Yew trees are threatened. It could take years for a synthetic antidote to be developed.

Lola thinks that we should wait. Yew trees are mostly in protected areas. Their loss could threaten the spotted owl. If we lost both species its hard to say what else might be affected.

ANALYSIS: Lola thinks that preventing far reaching environmental consequences is more important than helping cancer patients earlier. If there were no chance of a synthetic chemical then she might think differently.

___________

1. People’s well being is threatened (by cancer.) And Lola doesn’t say that no other priority is higher than the environment.
2. An agreement about the rate? That sounds like they’re paying to kill Yews and Spotted Owls. Lola does not agree with that.
3. Same as A. Human lives are at stake.
4. This is a medical breakthrough that could save human lives.
5. CORRECT. Yes. Using the Yew trees would threaten an entire ecosystem. So this takes precedence over proving an immediate advantage to cancer patients (a restricted group – not everyone has cancer.)

Recap: The question begins with “Derek: We must exploit available resources in developing”. It is a Principle question. Learn how to master LSAT Principle questions on the LSAT Logical Reasoning question types page.