#24 - After a nuclear power plant accident, researchers

[James Finch]

Hi Y.R.,

By saying that the rods don't contain significant amounts of tellurium, the stimulus is telling us that the rods basically don't contain any tellurium, meaning the contamination couldn't have only from the rods. "Insignificant amounts" would be synonymous with "negligible," which would be very unlikely to then show up as contamination in the atmosphere. But we have enough tellurium to measure, so the rods couldn't be the only source.

Hope this clears things up!

[ashpine17]

So did those isotopes ultimately come from the core? Just not directly from it by indirectly via steam?

[German.Steel]

In my opinion, this is a horrific question because of the "dissolve" issue. Merriam-Webster's top definition for dissolve is: "to cause to disperse or disappear: DESTROY." Granted, there is an additional definition provided, which is: "to cause to pass into a solution." Under this chemistry-specific alternative definition, (B) makes perfect sense here. But under the most commonly-understood definition of "dissolve," it's a mockery that (B) is the credited answer.

I guess my point is, if they had just replaced "dissolved by steam" with "incorporated into steam" (or something similar), then there would have been no confusion around (B) as the credited answer. But choosing language that hinges on understanding a certain chemistry-specific definition in order to draw the proper inference is sloppy test-writing. Boo! Hiss! Do better, LSAC.

[Adam Tyson]

Interesting, GermanSteel - I never thought for a moment about destruction when I saw "dissolve." My first thought was like putting sugar in my coffee - not exactly a scientific mindset! I think the authors were relying on us having an everyday, commonsense working understanding of dissolving.

This stimulus breaks down pretty simply, in my view, with no need to make it more complex.

This stuff can only have come from one of two places.

One of them couldn't have happened (fuel rods).

For the other one to happen, there are two options - direct or indirect.

Direct doesn't explain it, so it must have been indirect. That's through the steam. So we look for an answer that says that the steam did it.

Keep it simple! The LSAT requires no specialized knowledge, so stay out of the dictionary and deal with your common, everyday understanding of what they said.