Unplugged Practice Test: Logical Reasoning Set 1, Question 1 (Strengthen)
Taking the test? Finish it first. This page shows the answer.
- Strengthen questions ask which new fact most supports the argument.
- Find the gap the argument leaves open, then look for the choice that closes it.
- Every question on this test is original, written to the same logical skeletons as real questions, and Steve checked every one himself before release.
The question
Food scientist: In the weeks that follow a heavy grain harvest, bakers in the Verrin valley stir a coarse mineral powder into their dough before shaping the loaves. The powder is almost certainly added for its preservative effect, since bread that contains the powder resists the growth of mold far longer than bread made without it does.
1. Which one of the following, if true, most strengthens the food scientist's argument?
- (A)Bakers in the Verrin valley rarely stir any powdered mineral other than this one into their dough.
- (B)Bakers in a neighboring valley have also been observed stirring coarse powders into dough after a harvest.
- (C)Of the mineral powders available to bakers in the Verrin valley, this one is the most widely stocked.
- (D)Bread in the Verrin valley is most prone to developing mold in the weeks that follow a heavy grain harvest.
- (E)The powder blends into dough more easily when the dough has been freshly mixed.
DWhy (D) is correct
(D) confirms a premise this argument needs, that mold is actually a threat at the moment bakers add the powder. The stimulus says bakers stir the powder into dough in the weeks that follow a heavy grain harvest, and if bread is most prone to mold precisely then, the timing points to a real preservative need, not some unrelated habit.
Why the other answers are wrong
AWhy (A) is wrong
(A) that bakers rarely use any other powdered mineral doesn't explain why they use this one, since tradition or texture could explain the choice just as well.
BWhy (B) is wrong
(B) bakers in a neighboring valley doing something similar says nothing about why this valley's bakers add the powder.
CWhy (C) is wrong
(C) that this powder is the most widely stocked points to availability, not to any preservative effect.
EWhy (E) is wrong
(E) that the powder blends in more easily with fresh dough gives the bakers a reason to use it that has nothing to do with mold, which works against the argument rather than for it.
Common questions
What type of question is this?
Strengthen. Strengthen questions ask which new fact most supports the argument.
How do I get better at Strengthen questions?
Find the gap the argument leaves open, then look for the choice that closes it. The free LSAT cheat sheet lists the wrong-answer patterns to watch for on every type.
