#22 - Insurers and doctors are well aware that the incidence

[Jeff Wren]

Hi Hyunuk,

Whenever someone has a question about a particular word used on the LSAT, I like to start with the dictionary definition of the word because sometimes people are thinking of the wrong definition or the wrong word.

In this case, the word "strenuous" doesn't actually appear in the stimulus or the answers, but I do think that it is a reasonable shorthand description for "physical work of a type known to place heavy stresses on the lower back," which is described in the stimulus.

"Strenuous" has several definitions, but the ones most relevant to the question are "vigorously active" and "calling for energy or stamina." In other words, "strenuous work" would describe work that requires a lot of physical effort.

Work that requires a lot of physical effort would be a form of exercise. You may be thinking of the word "exercise" in a very specific way, such as going to a gym, playing sports, running, swimming, etc.. However, "exercise" in the broad/general sense means "anything involving physical activity." In other words, anything other than sitting or lying down could be considered exercise, including simply walking. And this is the way that it is being used in Answer E.

I'm not sure what your experiences working at a retail store were, but if that job did include a lot of moving around, then it would qualify as the type of exercise Answer E is describing (as opposed to a desk job, which does not involve moving around a lot). Perhaps you are confusing strenuous in a physical sense with the idea of a job that is mentally stressful but not physically strenuous?

Or perhaps your real life experience was that the job was very physically active, but actually caused-lower back pain injuries rather than prevent them? Even if that were true (and it wouldn't surprise me if it were), that has no bearing on Answer E because we accept the answers as true for the purposes of answering the question even if they aren't true in the "real world."

Either way, Answer E's description of physical exercise is broader than the "physical work of a type known to place heavy stresses on the lower back" described in the stimulus, so there should be no question that this type of work would fit within the broad definition of physical exercise in the answer. For example, placing heavy stresses on the lower back presumably refers to lifting heavy objects, and lifting heavy objects is definitely a form of exercise, whether it is done for work or at the gym.

[vga1958]

I had a hard time with this one, particularly in debating the relative weight between C and E. Sure, it's a lot to assume that the intensive-labor folks would heed the recommendation to stretch. But I also thought it was a huge leap to imply that the desk laborers AREN'T also getting consistent exercise. I know plenty of office workers who exercise regularly, and are less prone to overexercise than some manual laborers I know.

In the end it came down to which answer most explained why the desk folks might be experience MORE back injuries than expected, not just why the intensive laborers are experiencing less. Still, I rebuke this question.

[Dana D]

Hey VGA,

We want to be careful bringing in outside world information here like your ancedotal evidence of desk workers v. physical laborers. Instead, look at the logic the author uses and focus your attempts by attempting to weaken the logic they present.

Here, the author cites office furniture as the cause of higher low back injury rates among office workers v. physical laborers. Therefore, answer choice (C) isn't going to weaken the author's logic -it just tells us that physical laborers are (best case scenario) putting less stress on their lower backs as they exercise. Office furniture is still free to be the author's scapegoat for higher back pain.

Now if instead we choose answer choice (E), the cause of different lower back pain rates is not due to office furniture, but rather the fact that phsyical laborers are exercising more than the office workers. And this answer choice incidentally supports your point about officer workers who exercise - they might be just as injury-prone or less so than physical laborers, but again that is because of the exercise they're doing.

Hope that helps!