LSAT Explanation PT 24, S3, Q11: Special kinds of cotton that grow

LSAT Question Stem

Which one of the following can be properly inferred from the passage? 

Logical Reasoning Question Type

This is a Must Be True question. 

Correct Answer

The correct answer to this question is B. 

LSAT Question Complete Explanation

First, let's analyze the passage. The passage talks about special kinds of cotton that grow fibers of green or brown. These types of cotton have been around since the 1930s but only became commercially feasible when a long-fibered variety that can be spun by machine was finally bred. This is because the cotton doesn't need to be dyed, so processing plants can avoid the expense of dyeing and the ecological hazards of getting rid of leftover dye and by-products.

Now, let's consider the question type. This is a Must Be True (MBT) question, which means we need to identify the answer choice that can be properly inferred from the passage.

Let's examine each answer choice:

a) It is ecologically safer to process long-fibered cotton than short-fibered cotton.

- We cannot infer this from the passage because it doesn't provide any information about the ecological safety of short-fibered cotton. The passage only discusses the ecological benefits of not dyeing the special cotton.

b) Green and brown cottons that can be spun only by hand are not commercially viable.

- This answer choice is correct. The passage states that the special cotton became commercially feasible when a long-fibered variety that can be spun by machine was bred. This implies that before the machine-spun variety was developed, the cotton was not commercially viable, which likely includes hand-spun cotton.

c) Hand-spun cotton is more ecologically safe than machine-spun cotton.

- We cannot infer this from the passage because it doesn't provide any information about the ecological safety of hand-spun cotton compared to machine-spun cotton. The passage only discusses the ecological benefits of not dyeing the special cotton.

d) Short-fibered regular cottons are economically competitive with synthetic fabrics.

- We cannot infer this from the passage because it doesn't provide any information about the economic competitiveness of short-fibered cotton or synthetic fabrics. The passage only discusses the commercial feasibility of the special cotton.

e) Garments made of green and brown cottons are less expensive than garments made of regular cotton.

- We cannot infer this from the passage because it doesn't provide any information about the cost of garments made from the different types of cotton. The passage only discusses the commercial feasibility of the special cotton and the ecological benefits of not dyeing it.

In conclusion, the correct answer is B. The passage implies that before the development of the machine-spun long-fibered variety, green and brown cottons that can be spun only by hand were not commercially viable.