The logical reasoning section of the LSAT, like the other sections on the test, require practice to become proficient for test day. Take a look at these questions for a brief sample.
Time: 35 minutes for 25 questions
Directions: Read the passage and choose the best answer. Some questions may have more than one answer that looks right. Select the one that answers the question most completely. Don’t assume anything that isn’t directly stated, and don’t let your imagination run wild; all the information you need is in the arguments and the answer choices.
Curmudgeon: Why should I have to pay taxes for public schools? I do not have children who can attend those schools, so I should not have to pay for something that can never benefit me.
Which one of the following is an assumption required by the curmudgeon’s argument?
(A)In a democracy, it is essential that all citizens have at least a basic education to enable them to choose candidates and vote intelligently.
(B)People who do not have children attending public schools cannot benefit in any way from the existence of public schools.
(C)People who do have children in public schools are reaping an undeserved benefit from the tax dollars of other citizens.
(D)Encouraging people to have children is in the interest of the state because these children form the next generation of citizens.
(E)Paying for 12 years of education for a child is much cheaper than paying for 12 years of incarceration for a convicted criminal.
Magazine article: Scientists have found that people fall asleep faster when they go to bed with warm feet that cool off as they lie still — for instance, warming one’s feet with socks before going to bed and then removing them when one lies down to sleep to let the feet cool off again. That means that anyone with insomnia should try wearing socks to bed.
The reasoning in the magazine article’s argument is flawed because the argument
(A)concludes without justification that the technique of warming feet and then letting them cool is a valid approach to preventing sleeplessness
(B)implies that the same advice will work for all sufferers of insomnia, regardless of the cause
(C)assumes that the research on how foot temperature affects sleep is accurate because it came from scientists, without further investigation into the source of the information
(D)misinterprets the results of the research by failing to note that the sleep technique suggested by scientists requires the sleeper to remove the socks before trying to sleep
(E)criticizes those suffering from insomnia for not taking well-known steps to solve their problem
Everyone knows that mothers love their babies more than anything else in the world, and mothers are the ones who should raise their children. No one can do the job of raising a child as well as that child’s mother, so all mothers should stay home to care for their young children.
The reasoning in this argument is most vulnerable to criticism on the grounds that the argument
(A)discounts evidence indicating that not all mothers love their babies wholeheartedly
(B)fails to consider that many children thrive in day care
(C)belittles the fact that many women have to work to help support their families
(D)is based on a generalization that is not supported with evidence
(E)suggests that fathers, grandparents, and other close relatives are inadequate caretakers
Researchers in Germany have discovered that dogs can understand human language quite well and that all are capable of comprehending a vocabulary no smaller than that understood by members of other intelligent animal species, such as chimpanzees, dolphins, and parrots. Many dogs, such as the border collie named Rico, can understand more than 200 words and are capable of learning new ones.
If all these statements are true, which one of the following must also be true?
(A)Many dog owners spell words that their dogs recognize, such as bath, instead of saying them out loud because they know their dogs will understand the words and overreact.
(B)Dogs can learn words only if their human trainers consistently use the same words for the same objects.
(C)Some chimpanzees are capable of understanding more than 200 words.
(D)Dogs in Germany understand more human words than dogs in other countries.
(E)A vocabulary training method effective with chimpanzees would also be effective with dogs.
Answer Key
B. People who don’t have children attending public schools cannot benefit in any way from the existence of public schools.
D. misinterprets the results of the research by failing to note that the sleep technique suggested by scientists requires the sleeper to remove the socks before trying to sleep
D. is based on a generalization that is not supported with evidence
C. Some chimpanzees are capable of understanding more than 200 words.