LSAT 158 | Section 3 | Logical Reasoning: Q6

LR Question 6 Explanation

QUESTION TEXT: Surprisingly, a new study has revealed that shortly after…

QUESTION TYPE: Paradox

PARADOX: When it rains in Crystal Bay, pollution levels peak. But rainwater is virtually pure, so it should make the bay less polluted.

ANALYSIS: Paradox questions are often hard to prephrase, because there are a few options. Here, we need to show why rain (which seemingly should help) causes more pollution.

There are a couple options:

1. Rain has some negative effect on the bay that increases pollution
2. Dry spells have an effect that decreases pollution, and this effect goes away when it rains.

The correct answer will likely fit one of these two categories.

___________

1. This doesn’t solve the paradox. If rainfall is negligible, then why does pollution increase?
2. CORRECT. If the rainwater is bringing pesticides into the bay, that tells us why the heavy rain causes more pollution.
3. The stimulus tells us that rainwater is pure, so it shouldn’t matter where the water comes from.
4. This provides an explanation for where pollution comes from. But it doesn’t make sense that this would happen after heavy rain. Why would there be beachgoers during a rainstorm?
5. This tells us that this pattern is standard, but that doesn’t solve the paradox. We want to know why.

Recap: The question begins with “Surprisingly, a new study has revealed that shortly after”. It is a Paradox question. Learn more about LSAT Paradox questions in our guide to LSAT Logical Reasoning question types.