LSAT practice test

Consider the following argument. A recent report found that towns with more public parks have lower rates of stress-related illness among residents. The report concluded that building more parks in a town will reduce stress-related illness there. Which one of the following, if true, most weakens the argument?

Consider the following argument. The new coffee shop downtown must be successful. Every time I walk past it, there is a long line of customers waiting to order. The argument is most vulnerable to criticism on which of the following grounds?

Consider the following argument. The city council argues that lowering the speed limit on Main Street will reduce accidents. However, the council has not considered that drivers frequently ignore posted speed limits unless enforcement is increased. The second sentence functions in the argument as which of the following?

Consider the following argument. If a plant receives adequate sunlight, it will grow tall. The fern in the corner did not grow tall. Therefore, the fern in the corner did not receive adequate sunlight. Which one of the following describes the reasoning in the argument?

Consider the following argument. A nutritionist claims that because a certain berry contains a high concentration of antioxidants, eating large amounts of it will significantly improve a person's overall health. Which one of the following, if true, most weakens the nutritionist's claim?

Consider the following argument. Every employee who completed the training program received a certificate. Jordan received a certificate. Therefore, Jordan completed the training program. The argument is flawed because it

Consider the following argument. The bookstore owner noticed that sales increased the month after she rearranged the store's displays. She concluded that the new arrangement was responsible for the higher sales. Which one of the following, if true, would most strengthen the owner's conclusion?

Consider the following argument. A columnist argues that since violent crime rates have fallen over the past twenty years, the public's fear of crime is irrational and should be dismissed. Which one of the following best describes a flaw in the columnist's reasoning?

Consider the following argument. No reptile is warm-blooded. All snakes are reptiles. Therefore, no snake is warm-blooded. Which one of the following arguments uses a pattern of reasoning most similar to the one above?

Consider the following argument. The manager claims that the company's new flexible scheduling policy has improved morale, citing the fact that employee complaints dropped sharply after the policy began. Which one of the following, if true, most undermines the manager's reasoning?

Consider the following argument. All the documents in the locked cabinet are confidential. This document is confidential. Therefore, this document is in the locked cabinet. The reasoning in the argument is flawed because it

Consider the following argument. A study found that people who eat breakfast regularly tend to weigh less than people who skip breakfast. A health writer concluded that skipping breakfast causes weight gain. Which one of the following is an assumption required by the health writer's conclusion?

Consider the following argument. A law school dean notes that students who attended optional writing workshops during orientation earned higher first-year grades than students who did not attend. The dean concludes that requiring all incoming students to attend the workshops would raise first-year grades overall. Which one of the following is an assumption required by the dean's argument?

Consider the following argument. A columnist argues that the city should replace several small neighborhood clinics with one large central clinic because a larger building would reduce administrative costs. The argument overlooks the possibility that

Read the following passage, then answer the question. Some legal scholars argue that courts should defer broadly to administrative agencies because agencies have technical expertise and political accountability. Others respond that deference can allow agencies to expand their own authority unless courts enforce clear statutory limits. The debate is therefore not about whether expertise matters, but about how much independent judgment courts should retain. The passage most strongly suggests that both sides of the debate agree on which one of the following?

Read the following passage, then answer the question. Legal scholars have long debated whether judges should interpret statutes according to the lawmakers' original intent or according to the plain meaning of the words as written. Proponents of original intent argue that it honors the democratic will behind a law. Critics respond that lawmakers' intentions are often unclear, contradictory, or unrecorded. They favor the plain-meaning approach as more predictable and less open to a judge's personal bias. The passage is primarily concerned with

Read the following passage, then answer the question. Historians once portrayed the medieval guilds purely as instruments of economic control that restricted competition and fixed prices. More recent scholarship has complicated this view. Guilds, these historians note, also provided members with social insurance, funded religious festivals, and trained apprentices in skilled trades. This research suggests that guilds served their communities in ways that a narrowly economic account overlooks. The author of the passage would most likely agree with which of the following statements?

Read the following passage, then answer the question. The philosopher argues that scientific progress is not the steady accumulation of facts that many people imagine. Instead, she contends, science advances through occasional dramatic shifts in which an entire framework of assumptions is replaced. Between these shifts, scientists work within a shared framework and rarely question its foundations. Progress, on this view, is punctuated rather than gradual. Which one of the following, if true, would most weaken the philosopher's argument?

Consider the following argument. A newspaper editor argues that the paper should stop printing horoscopes because astrology has no scientific basis. A reader objects that many subscribers enjoy the horoscopes and would be disappointed if they were removed. The reader's response is best understood as