LSAT and Law School Admissions Forum

Get expert LSAT preparation and law school admissions advice from PowerScore Test Preparation.

User avatar
 Jonathan Evans
PowerScore Staff
  • PowerScore Staff
  • Posts: 726
  • Joined: Jun 09, 2016
|
#49607
Hi, OnlyWinter!

Great question!

You are correct that RIR is a sufficient condition for NCI. What this means is that whenever we have RIR, we must have NCI.

Answer choice (A) stipulates that we have a situation with RIR but without NCI. In other words, answer choice (A) says that in some "exceptional case" we might have RIR without having NCI. This is impossible. Whenever we have RIR, we must necessarily have some NCI.

You are correct that negating RIR does not preclude NCI, but that's not in fact what (A) says.

Does this make sense? Good job!
 andriana.caban
  • Posts: 142
  • Joined: Jun 23, 2017
|
#67969
Below are reasons why I eliminated certain answer choices - please let me know if I'm on the right track! I tried to copy Powerscore's structure on explaining incorrect and correct answer choices, I'm finding that doing it this way has helped with my understanding of LR in general.

Must Be True. The correct answer choice is (B)

Answer choice (A): Author only discusses an observation by presenting their argument through conditional reasoning. We don't know about 'exceptional cases' to the stated observation. While this answer choice could be true it is too ambiguous and beyond the realms of what a must be true question stem calls for.

Answer choice (B): This is the correct answer choice. The author states any reduction in interest rates produces new capital investment and, although the answer choices tries to trick it's LSAT takers with the word "precondition", is a restatement of authors argument.

Answer choice (C): Author discusses the instance where a country's manufacturing capacity is fully utilized. We cannot infer what would happened if the country's manufacturing capacity is underutilized. Thus, answer choice goes beyond the scope of the argument and is incorrect.

Answer choice (D): For one, the Author discusses what would happen if interest rates were reduced. Answer choice discusses an instance where interest rates are rising. Additionally, author doesn't discuss the temporal relationship between new capital investments and interest rates. Perhaps reduction interest rates and production of new capital investment occurs simultaneously or, perhaps reduction occurs first and then production occurs after an X amount of time after.

Answer choice (E): Industrial Growth :arrow: Manufacturing capacity newly created by capital investment is fully utilized. First, the author doesn't discuss, or imply, that capital investment creates manufacturing capacity. According to authors argument, if we see a country's manufacturing capacity being fully utilized, then we know that industrial grown happened with capital growth. We also know that without capital investments, we don't have industrial growth and surely the manufacturing capacity of a country is not fully realized. (New capital investment :arrow: Industrial growth :arrow: Manufacturing capacity fully realized)
 James Finch
PowerScore Staff
  • PowerScore Staff
  • Posts: 943
  • Joined: Sep 06, 2017
|
#71642
Hi Andriana,

Looks like solid logic! Good job!
User avatar
 ericsilvagomez
  • Posts: 49
  • Joined: Oct 16, 2023
|
#104357
Hi,

I think I understand why B is the correct answer: the precondition is the industrial growth that would happen because there is a reduction in interest rates. There needs to be that for new capital investment to happen. As for the necessary and sufficient conditions, I put that the relationship was "country's manufacturing capacity" for the sufficient condition and "no capital investment" for the necessary condition since it was after "without." I put "reduction in interest rates" as the sufficient condition and "produces new capital investment" as the necessary condition. Any help with clarifying the conditional relationships would be appreciated.
User avatar
 srusty
PowerScore Staff
  • PowerScore Staff
  • Posts: 32
  • Joined: Nov 30, 2023
|
#104408
Hi Eric,

1: Fully Utilized ---> Industrial Growth ---> New Capital Investment

2: Reduction in Interest Rate ---> New Capital Investment

Larger condition to be met: country’s manufacturing capacity is fully utilized
Condition 1: ~ new capital ---> ~ industrial growth
Contrapositive: industrial growth ---> new capital
Condition 2: Reduction interest rate ----> new capital

Answer choice (B) tells us that a reduction in interest rates might cause a precondition for industrial growth to be met. “Precondition” can also mean necessary condition, and a reduction in interest lates can lead to new capital, which is a necessary condition for industrial growth (which we see in contrapositive for condition 1).

Hope that helps!

Get the most out of your LSAT Prep Plus subscription.

Analyze and track your performance with our Testing and Analytics Package.