LSAT Explanation PT 31, S2, Q15: For a ten-month period, the total

LSAT Question Stem

If the statements above are true, which one of the following CANNOT be true? 

Logical Reasoning Question Type

This is a Must Be False question. 

Correct Answer

The correct answer to this question is A. 

LSAT Question Complete Explanation

This is a Cannot Be True question, which means we are looking for the answer choice that cannot be true based on the information provided in the passage. Before diving into the answer choices, let's recap the main points of the passage:

1. For a ten-month period, total monthly sales of new cars in Calistan remained constant.

2. During this period, Marvel Automobile Company's monthly sales doubled, and its market share increased correspondingly.

3. At the end of the ten-month period, emission standards were imposed on new cars sold in Calistan.

4. After the imposition of the emission standards, Marvel's market share declined substantially, but its monthly sales remained constant at the level reached in the last month of the ten-month period.

Now, let's go through each answer choice to determine which one cannot be true.

a) The total monthly sales within Calistan of new cars by companies other than Marvel Automobile Company decreased over the three months following the imposition of the emission standards.

This answer choice cannot be true. If Marvel's monthly sales remained constant after the imposition of the emission standards, but its market share declined, this means that the overall sales in the market must have increased. Therefore, the sales of other car makers must have increased, not decreased. So, this answer choice is the correct one.

b) Over the three months before the imposition of the emission standards, the combined market share of companies other than Marvel Automobile Company selling new cars in Calistan decreased.

This answer choice could be true. Marvel doubled sales and market share during the ten-month period, so it is possible that the market share of other companies decreased in the three months before the imposition of the emission standards.

c) If the emission standards had not been imposed, Marvel Automobile Company would have lost an even larger share of the number of new cars sold in Calistan than, in fact, it did.

This answer choice could be true. We don't know the reason for Marvel's loss of market share, and it is possible that the emission standards actually limited Marvel's loss of market share or the increase in sales of other manufacturers.

d) A decrease in the total monthly sales of new cars within Calistan will occur if the emission standards remain in effect.

This answer choice could be true because Calistan's future car sales could fall due to various causes, including the emission standards. We don't have enough information to determine the effect of the emission standards.

e) Since the imposition of the emission standards, Marvel Automobile Company's average profit on each new car sold within Calistan has increased.

This answer choice could be true, as no information is given about profit in the passage.

In conclusion, answer choice (a) is the correct answer, as it is the only statement that cannot be true based on the information provided in the passage.