LSAT Explanation PT 35, S4, Q12: Most doctors recommend that pregnant women

LSAT Question Stem

Which one of the following, if true, does most to resolve the apparent discrepancy in the information above? 

Logical Reasoning Question Type

This is a Paradox question. 

Correct Answer

The correct answer to this question is C. 

LSAT Question Complete Explanation

The passage states that most doctors recommend pregnant women to eat a nutritious diet to promote the health of their babies. However, most babies born to women who ate nutritious diets while pregnant still develop at least one medical problem in their first year. This presents a paradox, which we need to resolve.

Let's break down the answer choices and see which one helps us resolve this discrepancy.

a) Women who regularly eat a nutritious diet while pregnant tend to eat a nutritious diet while breast-feeding.

- This choice does not address the discrepancy as it focuses on the diet of women during breastfeeding rather than during pregnancy. It doesn't help us understand why babies born to women who ate nutritious diets during pregnancy still develop medical problems in their first year.

b) Most of the babies born to women who did not eat nutritious diets while pregnant develop no serious medical problems later in childhood.

- This choice also doesn't resolve the paradox. Instead, it suggests that babies born to women who did not eat nutritious diets while pregnant do not develop serious medical problems, which doesn't help us understand why babies born to women who ate nutritious diets during pregnancy still have medical problems in their first year.

c) Babies of women who did not eat nutritious diets while pregnant tend to have more medical problems in their first year than do other babies.

- This choice resolves the paradox by providing a comparison between babies born to women who ate nutritious diets during pregnancy and those who didn't. It suggests that even though babies born to women who ate nutritious diets during pregnancy still develop medical problems, they have fewer problems than those born to women who didn't eat nutritious diets. This supports the doctors' recommendation for pregnant women to eat nutritious diets.

d) Medical problems that develop in the first year of life tend to be more serious than those that develop later in childhood.

- This choice doesn't help us resolve the paradox, as it talks about the severity of medical problems rather than the frequency of medical problems in babies born to women who ate nutritious diets during pregnancy.

e) Many of the physicians who initially recommended that pregnant women consume nutritious diets have only recently reaffirmed their recommendation.

- This choice is irrelevant to the paradox, as it only tells us that physicians have reaffirmed their recommendation but doesn't provide any information to help us understand why babies born to women who ate nutritious diets during pregnancy still develop medical problems in their first year.

In conclusion, the correct answer is C, as it resolves the paradox by providing a comparison between babies born to women who ate nutritious diets during pregnancy and those who didn't, and supports the doctors' recommendation for pregnant women to eat nutritious diets.