LSAT Explanation PT 44, S4, Q1: Jones fell unconscious on the job
LSAT Question Stem
Which one of the following, if true, would undermine the physician's conclusion?
Logical Reasoning Question Type
This is a Weaken question.
Correct Answer
The correct answer to this question is C.
LSAT Question Complete Explanation
The question type for this problem is Weaken, and our goal is to find an answer choice that undermines the physician's conclusion.
Let's first break down the argument in the passage:
Premise 1: If Jones swallowed the chemical, a deficiency in a mineral in his blood would result, causing inflammation of the skin.
Premise 2: Jones's skin was not inflamed when he was admitted to the emergency room.
Conclusion: Jones did not swallow the chemical.
The argument's structure is a conditional statement, and the physician is concluding that since the inflammation of the skin did not occur, Jones must not have swallowed the chemical. However, the physician might be overlooking some crucial information, such as the time it takes for the deficiency and inflammation to develop after ingesting the chemical.
Evaluate Question: How long does it take for the deficiency and inflammation to develop after ingesting the chemical?
Now let's analyze each answer choice:
a) Jones did not know that the chemical was dangerous.
- This answer choice is irrelevant to the argument because it doesn't provide any information about the relationship between ingesting the chemical, the mineral deficiency, and the skin inflammation.
b) Jones had suffered inflammation of the skin in the past.
- This answer choice also doesn't weaken the argument because it doesn't provide any information about the current situation or the relationship between the chemical, the deficiency, and the inflammation.
c) It takes 48 hours for the chemical to bring about deficiency of the mineral in the blood.
- This is the correct answer choice. If it takes 48 hours for the deficiency to occur, it might take even longer for the inflammation to appear. Since Jones was rushed to the emergency room shortly after falling unconscious, the absence of inflammation doesn't necessarily mean he didn't swallow the chemical. This answer choice undermines the physician's conclusion.
d) Jones often worked with the chemical.
- This answer choice doesn't weaken the argument because it doesn't provide any information about the relationship between ingesting the chemical, the mineral deficiency, and the skin inflammation. It only tells us that Jones was frequently exposed to the chemical.
e) Deficiency in minerals other than the mineral in question can cause inflammation of the skin.
- This answer choice is irrelevant because the argument is about the specific mineral deficiency caused by ingesting the chemical. Since Jones showed no signs of inflammation, it doesn't matter if other mineral deficiencies can also cause inflammation.
In conclusion, answer choice (c) is the correct answer as it weakens the physician's conclusion by providing information about the time it takes for the deficiency and inflammation to develop after ingesting the chemical.