LSAT Explanation PT 45, S4, Q9: Public health expert: Until recently people
LSAT Question Stem
Of the following, which one most accurately expresses the conclusion drawn by the public health expert?
Logical Reasoning Question Type
This is a Main Conclusion question.
Correct Answer
The correct answer to this question is C.
LSAT Question Complete Explanation
This LSAT problem is a Main Point question type, which means our task is to identify the answer choice that best matches the conclusion drawn by the public health expert in the passage. Let's go through each answer choice and evaluate its relation to the passage's conclusion.
Answer choice (A): This choice states that a medicine that kills one variety of disease-causing microorganism can cause the evolution of a drug-resistant variety. While this is mentioned in the passage, it is a premise rather than the conclusion. In Main Point questions, a premise is never the correct answer.
Answer choice (B): This choice claims that a patient who contracts a disease caused by microorganisms cannot be effectively cured by present methods. This statement is not supported by the argument in the passage. The passage discusses the evolution of microorganisms and the need for a new public health strategy, but it does not say that a specific patient cannot be cured of a specific disease.
Answer choice (C): This choice asserts that there is good reason to make a particular change to public health policy. This choice aligns with the conclusion of the passage, which suggests that a new health policy is required due to the rapid reproduction and evolution of microorganisms. While this answer choice may be more abstract than specific, it provides a general description of the main point of the argument, making it the correct answer.
Answer choice (D): This choice states that no one who is fully informed about the diseases caused by microorganisms will ever fall victim to those diseases. The passage, however, specifically mentions "minimizing the incidence of such diseases," not eliminating them entirely. Therefore, this answer choice does not accurately represent the conclusion of the passage.
Answer choice (E): This choice claims that some previous approaches to public health policy ignored the fact that disease-causing microorganisms reproduce at a rapid rate. While it might sound more specific than answer choice (C), there are two reasons this answer is incorrect. First, the conclusion of the argument goes beyond discussing the flaws of previous approaches and advocates for a new approach. Second, the passage does not say that previous beliefs "ignored" the evidence; rather, current medical research has revealed new information about the situation.
In conclusion, the correct answer choice for this Main Point question is (C), as it best matches the conclusion drawn by the public health expert in the passage.