LSAT 158 | Section 4 | Logical Reasoning: Q10

LR Question 10 Explanation

QUESTION TEXT: Railroads rely increasingly on automation. Since fewer…

QUESTION TYPE: Main Conclusion

CONCLUSION: We can expect the volume of freight shipped by rails to grow.

REASONING: The railroad industry is reducing the number of workers and its operating costs by using more automation. The main competitor, trucking, isn’t reducing operating costs.

ANALYSIS: Always look for conclusion indicator words. Here, the words “This means” indicate the main conclusion.

___________

1. CORRECT. This matches our prephrase and the stimulus’ conclusion.
2. In the stimulus, the word “since” introduces this line, which means it refers to a premise.
3. This refers to a premise. The trucking industry is rail’s main competitor. Since trucking is not seeing lower costs, we can expect rail to have a cost advantage and get more volume.

4. This answer is an intermediate conclusion. You can decide whether something is a main or intermediate conclusion by asking what makes sense logically. Is it:

   1. Automation leads to fewer workers, meaning operating costs fell, so volume will go up, or
   2. Automation leads to fewer workers, meaning Volume increased, so operating costs fall?

   The first one makes more sense. The lower operating costs make more people choose rail cause it is cheaper.

5. This line is context. The author mentions trucks only to show that railroads’ chief competitor is not getting cheaper.

Recap: The question begins with “Railroads rely increasingly on automation Since fewer”. It is a Identify The Conclusion question. Learn more about LSAT Identify questions in our guide to LSAT Logical Reasoning question types.