Sufficient AssumptionDiff: Hard
Logic Breakdown
Passage Summary: A new earthquake predictor has a 2.5-point margin of error, which is the difference between a tiny shake and a disaster, so the geologist thinks the tool is useless.
Conclusion: The new method for predicting earthquakes is unlikely to be of any practical use.
Reasoning: The method has a margin of error of 2.5 points on the Richter scale, which is the same distance between a harmless tremor and a destructive earthquake.
Analysis: This is a Sufficient Assumption question, so we need a bridge that guarantees the conclusion is true. The geologist establishes a fact about the margin of error and then jumps to the conclusion that the method is not useful. The missing link is the idea that any method with a margin of error that spans the gap between 'harmless' and 'dangerous' is, by definition, not useful. Look for an answer that connects the inability to distinguish between these two types of events with a lack of utility.
Conclusion: The new method for predicting earthquakes is unlikely to be of any practical use.
Reasoning: The method has a margin of error of 2.5 points on the Richter scale, which is the same distance between a harmless tremor and a destructive earthquake.
Analysis: This is a Sufficient Assumption question, so we need a bridge that guarantees the conclusion is true. The geologist establishes a fact about the margin of error and then jumps to the conclusion that the method is not useful. The missing link is the idea that any method with a margin of error that spans the gap between 'harmless' and 'dangerous' is, by definition, not useful. Look for an answer that connects the inability to distinguish between these two types of events with a lack of utility.
Passage Stimulus
Passage Redacted
Unlock Full Passage20.Which one of the following, if assumed, enables the geologist's conclusion to be properly inferred?
Correct Answer
B
It states that an earthquake-forecasting method is unlikely to be useful unless it always differentiates barely noticeable from substantially destructive earthquakes. Given the method’s 2.5-point range can encompass both, it fails this requirement, so the conclusion that the method is unlikely to be useful is properly inferred.
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