- Sat Jul 01, 2017 10:33 am
#36706
Complete Question Explanation
(See the complete passage discussion here: lsat/viewtopic.php?t=14600)
The correct answer choice is (B)
This question directs you to paragraph four. As discussed previously, this paragraph deals primarily
with challenges and questions that remain in spite of existing regulation. The “hazards of insufficient
knowledge” could be properly characterized as a topic sentence for this entire paragraph. Thus, the
correct answer choice must account for all of the potential consequences of this lack of knowledge
mentioned in this paragraph (potential flaws in the usage of metal pipe casings; effects of groundwater
bacteria, traffic vibrations, and changing groundwater chemistry; complications that could result from a
poor understanding of an area’s subsurface geology).
Answer choice (A): A specific knowledge of how groundwater contamination affects human beings is
not necessary to conclude that drinking water should remain pure. Though this lack of understanding
may present some hazards itself, it is not among the areas which this paragraph suggests as requiring
further research.
Answer choice (B): This is the correct answer choice. Among the concerns listed in this section of the
passage are questions about the durability of the protective barriers, the presence of bacteria, the impact
of traffic vibrations and groundwater chemistry, and the poor understanding of subsurface geology.
These various concerns can be correctly categorized as possible consequences of drilling and all reflect
the absence of full comprehension.
Answer choice (C): Though the author expresses concern about the safety of technologies such as the
metal pipe casings, the methods for testing such technologies are not specifically questioned. According
to the author, we need more research, not necessarily better research. This answer choice is incomplete.
Answer choice (D): This answer choice attempts to shift the focus away from the difficulty of creating
effective environmental regulations to the difficulty of enforcing such regulations. In fact, the author
clearly states that the hazards of insufficient knowledge remain even in cases where regulations have
been enacted and enforced, such as the drilling on the west coast of North America (line 55).
Answer choice (E): This could be an appealing answer choice for many of the same reasons why
some respondents chose answer choice (C). The author does talk about the potential hazards posed by
materials used in metal pipe casings very shortly after the phrase indicated in the question stem. But
the author’s concern is about the interaction between these materials and the geologic environment, and
not the properties of the materials themselves. Further, the author is concerned about the risks posed by
an insufficient knowledge of numerous threats, not just the materials used in manufacturing pipe metal
casings.
(See the complete passage discussion here: lsat/viewtopic.php?t=14600)
The correct answer choice is (B)
This question directs you to paragraph four. As discussed previously, this paragraph deals primarily
with challenges and questions that remain in spite of existing regulation. The “hazards of insufficient
knowledge” could be properly characterized as a topic sentence for this entire paragraph. Thus, the
correct answer choice must account for all of the potential consequences of this lack of knowledge
mentioned in this paragraph (potential flaws in the usage of metal pipe casings; effects of groundwater
bacteria, traffic vibrations, and changing groundwater chemistry; complications that could result from a
poor understanding of an area’s subsurface geology).
Answer choice (A): A specific knowledge of how groundwater contamination affects human beings is
not necessary to conclude that drinking water should remain pure. Though this lack of understanding
may present some hazards itself, it is not among the areas which this paragraph suggests as requiring
further research.
Answer choice (B): This is the correct answer choice. Among the concerns listed in this section of the
passage are questions about the durability of the protective barriers, the presence of bacteria, the impact
of traffic vibrations and groundwater chemistry, and the poor understanding of subsurface geology.
These various concerns can be correctly categorized as possible consequences of drilling and all reflect
the absence of full comprehension.
Answer choice (C): Though the author expresses concern about the safety of technologies such as the
metal pipe casings, the methods for testing such technologies are not specifically questioned. According
to the author, we need more research, not necessarily better research. This answer choice is incomplete.
Answer choice (D): This answer choice attempts to shift the focus away from the difficulty of creating
effective environmental regulations to the difficulty of enforcing such regulations. In fact, the author
clearly states that the hazards of insufficient knowledge remain even in cases where regulations have
been enacted and enforced, such as the drilling on the west coast of North America (line 55).
Answer choice (E): This could be an appealing answer choice for many of the same reasons why
some respondents chose answer choice (C). The author does talk about the potential hazards posed by
materials used in metal pipe casings very shortly after the phrase indicated in the question stem. But
the author’s concern is about the interaction between these materials and the geologic environment, and
not the properties of the materials themselves. Further, the author is concerned about the risks posed by
an insufficient knowledge of numerous threats, not just the materials used in manufacturing pipe metal
casings.