LSAT 9 | Section 2 | Logical Reasoning: Q17

LR Question 17 Explanation

QUESTION TEXT: Certain instruments used in veterinary surgery can be made …

QUESTION TYPE: Must Be False

FACTS:

• Instruments in vet surgery can be made of either nylon or stainless steel.
• Nylon instruments: 50 sterilizations use 3.4x the energy used to manufacture the nylon set.
• Stainless steel instruments: 50 sterilizations use 2.1x the energy used to manufacture the stainless steel set.

ANALYSIS: Those are all the facts we’re given. We’re looking for an answer that contradicts the relationships established by the ratios.

Four of the answer choices could be true (incorrect), and the correct one must be false.

___________

1. Could be true. If the original manufacturing energy for nylon was higher, the total sterilization energy could also be higher.
2. CORRECT. If total sterilizations were 3.4 x the manufacturing energy, then each sterilization must be less than the manufacturing energy. So this must be false.
3. The stimulus doesn’t say how many instruments were in each set. So this could be true. We just don’t know.
4. Be careful here. We’re only told ratios, not absolute energy amounts. It’s possible stainless steel instruments took more energy to manufacture.
5. The ratio is 2.1x manufacturing, so sterilization energy is more than manufacturing energy. If energy costs correlate with total cost, this is plausible.