Past LSAT Explained/PrepTest 48

October 2001 Form 1LSS51 On most test forms, the experimental section appeared in Section 3. Ratings of this administration placed its difficulty slightly below that of other recent exams.

Games (Analytical Reasoning) - 22 questions the difficulty of this section as easier than Games sections that have appeared on exams within the past year.

In the first game, a student in a dorm room had five appliances, but they could not all be used at once. The conditions listed appliances that could not be plugged in at the same time, and test takers had to determine how many and which appliances were used in various scenarios.

The second game involved determining the order in which a farmer plowed each of his eight fields.

The third game asked test takers to determine which one or more of three appliance types five workers were able to repair.

In the last game, three folk bands and three rock bands each had to be scheduled for one of six time slots on two concert stages. The complexity of the setup and conditions made this the most challenging game. Overall, test takers rated the first and second games as easier and the third and fourth games as harder.

Section I Logical Reasoning

Question 01

The question asks to identify a statement that will weaken the argument. The conclusion stated that lie-detectors that can detect the physiological reaction are a "sure" way of determining when someone is lying. One way to weaken this conclusion is to break the relationship. Answer D shows just that physiological reaction is not necessarily a result of lying.

Question 02

This question asks us to identify a flaw in the argument. The publishing executive states that the company needs to sell at least 100,000 books to make a profit. And his conclusion is that because the best selling of the 12 books is unlikely to sell over 100,000 copies, the company will not make a profit. The flaw is obvious. We are not concerned of the number of copies sold for ONE book, but instead, a total of ALL books from the company. Answer D identifies just that.

Section II Reading Comprehension

Examinees varied in their assessments of passage difficulty, but many said the humanities and science passages had the easiest questions.

The first passage described prehistoric cave paintings and speculated about their purpose.

The second passage discussed the work of contemporary poet Louise Gluck. While some critics have argued that Gluck should write from a distinctively female perspective, Gluck contends that great poetry deals with universal subjects.

The third passage reviewed native Canadians’ efforts to win property rights by getting the courts to recognize communal ownership as a viable legal concept.

The fourth passage examined how embryonic polarity differs among species—a somewhat surprising feature because other developmental processes are more similar across species.

Section IV Logical Reasoning

Question 26

Natalie Angier, "Heads or Tails?" How Embroyos Get It Right." Copyright by The New York Times.

Catherine Bell, "Aboriginal Claims to Cultural Property in Canada: A Comparative Legal Analysis of the Repatriation Debate." Copyright 1992 by the American Indian Law Review.

Louise Gluck, Proofs & Theories: Essays on Poetry. Copyright by Louise Gluck.

"Why Bad Hair Days May Not Matter." Copyright 1996 by Sussex Publishers Inc.