LSAT Critical Reading

Hey I am Pragya , preparing for LSAT but facing problem in its Critical Reading Section so can you please give me some sample questions of LSAT critical reading so that I get an idea about which type of questions asked in this section of LSAT paper??

[Shaleen]

LSAT is a law entrance exam, designed by USA based Law School Admission Council (LSAC) for admissions to law schools in India. It is a standardized test of reading and verbal reasoning skills.

The paper of LSAT includes four section that are
Analytical Reasoning
1st Logical Reasoning
2nd Logical Reasoning
Reading Comprehension

Here I am giving some question from the Reading Comprehension Section of this paper so that you get the idea about the questions asked in this paper
1. Theologian: The presence of a group of followers of Swami Rama has a pacifying spiritual effect on any town as a whole. For example, soon after a commune of the Swami's followers was established in Ford's Bend, Indiana, the number of crimes in that town dropped by 40 percent, and the suicide rate fell to zero. Thus, the power of the Swami's method of meditative serenity extends even to those merely living in the vicinity.
Which of the following, if true, most weakens the conclusion of the theologian's argument?

(A) Prior to the establishment of the Swami's commune, the crime rate in Ford's Bend was already relatively low.
(B) Within a year after the establishment of the Swami's commune, the population of Ford's Bend had dropped by 50 percent.
(C) Only 2 percent of the population of Ford's Bend are members of the Swami's commune.
(D) During the year prior to the establishment of the Swami's commune, only two persons had committed suicide in Ford's Bend.
(E) Within a year after the establishment of the Swami's commune, two members of the commune were arrested for armed robbery.
2. Researcher: The symptoms of mental disorders are behavioral, cognitive, or emotional problems. Some patients with mental disorders can be effectively treated with psychotherapy, but it is now known that in some patients' mental disorders result from chemical imbalances affecting the brain. Thus, these patients can be effectively treated only with medication that will reduce or correct the imbalance.
The researcher's argument depends on assuming which one of the following?
(A) Treatment by psychotherapy can produce no effective reduction in or correction of chemical imbalances that cause mental disorders.
(B) Treatment with medication always shows faster results for patients with mental disorders than does treatment with psychotherapy.
(C) Most mental disorders are not the result of chemical imbalances affecting the brain.
(D) Medication is always more effective in treating patients with mental disorders than is psychotherapy.
(E) Treatment with psychotherapy has no effect on mental disorders other than a reduction of the symptoms.


3. The Rienzi, a passenger ship, sank as a result of a hole in its hull, possibly caused by sabotage. Normally when a holed ship sinks as rapidly as the Rienzi did, water does not enter the ship quickly enough for the ship to be fully flooded when it reaches the ocean floor. Full flooding can be achieved, however, by sabotage. Any ship that sinks deep into the ocean when not fully flooded will implode. Deep-sea photographs, taken of the sunken Rienzi where it rests on the ocean floor, reveal that the Rienzi did not implode.
Which one of the following must be true on the basis of the information above?

(A) The Rienzi was so constructed as to reduce the risk of sinking by impact.
(B) If the Rienzi became fully flooded, it did so only after it reached the ocean floor.
(C) If the Rienzi was not sunk by sabotage, water flooded into it unusually fast.
(D) If the Rienzi had sunk more slowly it would have imploded.
(E) The Rienzi was so strongly constructed as to resist imploding under deep-sea pressure.


4. Philosopher: The eighteenth-century thesis that motion is absolute asserts that the change in an object's position over time could be measured without reference to the position of any other object. A well-respected physicist, however, claims that this thesis is incoherent. Since a thesis that is incoherent cannot be accepted as a description of reality and motion cannot be absolute.
The philosopher proceeds by using which one of the following argumentative techniques?

(A) attempting to persuade by the mere use of technical terminology
(B) using experimental results to justify a change in definition
(C) relying on the authority of an expert to support a premise
(D) inferring from what has been observed to be the case under experimental conditions to what is in principle true
(E) generalizing from what is true in one region of space to what must be true in all regions of space

5. Legal historian: Some supposed defenders of freedom of the press say that they oppose censorship, provided that the press does its best to be fair and unbiased in its treatment of controversial issues. The authors of the Bill of Rights made no such provisions. Freedom of the press carries with it no responsibility to meet any standards of "fairness" or "objectivity" or "balance," especially those established by outside arbiters: the editors and publishers of newspapers, magazines, and books.
Which of the following most logically completes the legal historian's argument?

(A) The press is required only to present the facts according to common sense standards of fairness, objectivity, and balance.
(B) The press must consider first and foremost the wishes and interests of the reading public, whose support makes the publications possible in the first place.
(C) The press is free to be as "unfair," "biased," and "unbalanced" in their opinions as they wish.
(D) The press must simply provide space for their opponents to present their point of view in order to guarantee that readers are fully and honestly informed.
(E) The press must take public responsibility to be truthful, since they are vital sources of the information needed by the citizens of a democracy.


6. Smoking in bed has long been the main cause of home fires. Over the past two decades, there has been a significant decline in the sale and consumption of cigarettes. However, there has been no comparable decline in the number of people killed in home fires.
Each one of the following statements, if true, helps to resolve the apparent discrepancy above EXCEPT:

(A) Compared to other types of home fires, home fires caused by smoking in bed usually cause relatively little damage before they are extinguished.
(B) Home fires caused by smoking in bed often break out after the home's occupants have fallen asleep.
(C) Smokers who smoke in bed tend to be heavy smokers who are less likely to quit smoking than are smokers who do not smoke in bed.
(D) An increasing number of people have been killed in home fires that started in the kitchen.
(E) Population densities have increased, with the result that one home fire can cause more deaths than in previous decades.



7. John works five days each week except when on vacation or during weeks in which national holidays occur. Four days a week he works in an insurance company; on Fridays he works as a blacksmith. He does not have any other jobs. Last week there were no holidays and John was not on vacation. Therefore, he must have worked in the insurance company on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday last week.
Which of the following is an assumption upon which the argument depends?
(A) John never takes a vacation lasting longer than one week.
(B) Every day last week that John worked, he worked for an entire workday.
(C) John does not take vacations in weeks in which national holidays occur.
(D) Last week John worked neither on Saturday nor on Sunday.
(E) There were no days last week on which John both worked in the insurance company and also worked as a blacksmith.


8. Candidate: I am concerned that few judges who arbitrate cases involving high-tech companies have any relevant background; indeed, not one federal judge has a degree or any experience in computer technology. Until our judges are better able to demonstrate an understanding of the technology involved in these cases, we should view any decisions they pass down with skepticism.
Which of the following, if true, most weakens the candidate's argument?
(A) Litigation and jurisprudence in this area concerns the moral and social value of scientific and technological developments, judgments which do not intrinsically require a sophisticated technical understanding of the material.
(B) Computer scientists, by and large, have little interest in politics and public policy. It would be difficult to find scientists with the degree of commitment required for a serious contribution to the judicial system.
(C) There is a lack of people who are qualified in both technical and legal areas of expertise.
(D) There is very little opportunity, and indeed little need, for technical experts in the judicial branch. There is therefore almost no way for a technical specialist to rise through the ranks to a top-level position in government.
(E) The rewards of a life as a judge, in terms of both money and prestige, are not high enough to attract top-flight technical experts to this area.


9. Spokesperson: Statistics released last week demonstrate that Voiture cars have had 100 sudden acceleration accidents since 1995. In 1995, Voiture switched its gas pedal manufacturer to Lead Foot, Inc. However, we have recently decided to continue to buy its gas pedals from Lead Foot, Inc. This decision will continue to keep our customers safe.
Which of the following, if true, most strengthens the spokesperson's position?
(A) Attorneys have filed suit with Lead Foot, Inc. for faulty products.
(B) There were fewer sudden acceleration accidents before 1995, when Voiture switched to Lead Foot, Inc.
(C) Safety inspectors have failed to find flaws in the car's engine or gas line that could cause the unusual accelerations.
(D) Most companies have dropped Lead Foot, Inc. in the last few years.
(E) The 100 sudden acceleration accidents were caused by driver error. The high tension in Lead Foot's pedals helps to prevent these accidents.



10. Advertisement: A leading economist has determined that among people who used computers at their place of employment last year, those who also owned portable computers earned 25 percent more on average than those who did not. Owning a laptop computer leads to a higher- paying job.
Which one of the following identifies an error of reasoning in the advertisement?
(A) It attempts to support a sweeping generalization on the basis of information about only a small number of individuals.
(B) Its conclusion merely restates a claim made earlier in the argument.
(C) It mistakes statistical correlation for logical causation.
(D) It offers information as support for a conclusion when that information actually shows that the conclusion is false.
(E) It projects currently existing trends indefinitely into the future.