LSAT 152 | Section 2 | Logical Reasoning: Q12

LR Question 12 Explanation

QUESTION TEXT: If an activity significantly reduces chronic lower back pain…

QUESTION TYPE: Necessary Assumption

CONCLUSION: Doctors should be ready to discuss yoga’s use in treating back pain.

REASONING: Yoga reduced back pain as much as stretching classes. Doctors should discuss any treatments which significantly reduces back pain.

ANALYSIS: Simple switch here. The author says doctors should discuss activities which significantly reduce back pain. But they only say yoga reduces back pain as much as physio. This could be 2% or 50%: we’re not told how much physio reduces pain.

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1. It doesn’t matter if some other activities are theoretically better. All that matters is that yoga passes the threshold of being significant.
   Negation: Stretching with a physio significantly reduces back pain, but a $1,000,000 surgery can reduce it 1% more.
2. CORRECT. If this isn’t true, then we have no evidence that yoga significantly reduces back pain. The argument only said yoga reduces back pain as much as physio stretching classes.
   Negation: Physio stretching classes do not significantly reduce chronic lower back pain.
3. The author was clear that doctors should be willing to discuss any treatment that significantly reduces lower back pain. Doesn’t matter if there are three activities that do so or 300.
4. The argument would be stronger if this wasn’t true. More studies = stronger evidence. We’re looking for an answer that supports the argument. If the current study is the only study then that isn’t enough to form a firm conclusion.
   Negation: There were prior studies that compared yoga to physical therapy.
5. This answer tells us about what many doctors do. But the conclusion is about what doctors should do. What you “should” do doesn’t depend on what people are doing in practice. For example, thievery is wrong, no matter if nobody steals or if many people steal. The LSAT makes a strict separation between morality and fact. The concept in this answer is based in real world fact, and thus is irrelevant. The argument is about moral principle. (i.e. The doctors discussing stretching may be wrong to do so)

Recap: The question begins with “If an activity significantly reduces chronic lower back pain”. It is a Necessary Assumption question. Learn more about LSAT Necessary questions in our guide to LSAT Logical Reasoning question types.