LSAT 88, Logical Reasoning II, Q3, LSATHacks

LR Question 3 Explanation, by LSATHacks

QUESTION TEXT: Audiologist: What is often considered age-related hearing loss…

QUESTION TYPE: Strengthen

CONCLUSION: Age-related hearing loss is actually accumulated damage from long-term exposure to loud noises.

REASONING: Studies of remote populations with little exposure to loud noise found that there was no age-related hearing loss.

ANALYSIS: We can strengthen this argument in two ways:

1. Eliminate other reasons why remote populations didn’t have age-related hearing loss. Maybe it’s diet or genetics. Maybe everyone died young other weren’t any medical professionals in the areas who could give the diagnosis.
2. Give further evidence that exposure to long-term loud noise causes hearing loss. This could be “people who live in cities have more age-related hearing loss than people in remote populations.”

___________

1. This doesn’t tell us anything about what causes hearing loss.
2. CORRECT. People in remote areas who’ve lived for a while in urban areas would definitely have more exposure to loud noise than those who haven’t. This would support the Audiologist’s argument that exposure to loud noise is the cause of age-related hearing loss.
3. This could be true, but it still wouldn’t strengthen the argument that exposure to loud noise is what causes hearing loss.
4. Cool fun fact. So what? This doesn’t tell us the cause.
5. Wearing ear protection is irrelevant and doesn’t tell us the connection between loud noise and hearing loss.

Recap: The question begins with “Audiologist: What is often considered age-related hearing loss”. It is a Strengthen question. Learn how to master LSAT Strengthen questions on the LSAT Logical Reasoning question types page.

Hi, I'm Graeme Blake

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