StrengthenDiff: Medium

Logic Breakdown

Passage Summary: Violent prisoners usually eat poorly. When researchers fed some of them healthy food, they became less violent, which supposedly proves that bad food causes violence.

Conclusion: The experimental results confirm that poor nutrition is a cause of violent behavior.

Reasoning: Violent inmates were observed choosing low-nutrient foods, and when a group of them was switched to a high-nutrient diet, their behavior improved over four months.

Analysis: The argument moves from a correlation and a single-group experiment to a definitive causal conclusion. To strengthen this, we need to eliminate potential 'lurking variables' or alternative explanations. For instance, did the behavior of the inmates who *weren't* given the new diet stay the same? If everyone's behavior improved regardless of diet, the experiment proves nothing. Look for an answer that provides a control group or suggests that the improvement wasn't caused by something else, like a change in prison leadership or seasonal shifts in behavior.

Passage Stimulus

Passage Redacted

Unlock Full Passage

12.

Which one of the following, if true, most strengthens the argument?

Correct Answer
E
If violent inmates who did not receive the high-nutrient diet showed no improvement, that strongly points to the diet as the causal factor for improved behavior, directly reinforcing the claimed nutrition–violence link and addressing rival explanations.
Upgrade Your Prep

Ready to go beyond free explanations?

LSAT Perfection is the #1 modern LSAT prep platform, trusted by thousands of students for comprehensive test strategies, advanced drilling, and full analytics on every PrepTest.

Detailed explanations for 59 PrepTests
Advanced drillset builder
Personalized analytics
Built-in Wrong Answer Journal
Explore Perfection Plus for full LSAT prep