LSAT Logical Reasoning Practice Test 2024

Directions: In this section, you will be given brief statements or passages and will be required to evaluate the reasoning involved. In some instances, more than one choice will appear to be a possible answer. You are to choose the best answer. Use common sense and reasonableness in making your selection

Though the benefits of the hot tub and the Jacuzzis have been well publicized by their manufacturers, there are also some less widely known dangers. Young children, of course, cannot be left unattended near a hot tub, and even adults have fallen asleep and drowned. Warm water can cause the blood vessels to dilate and the resulting drop in blood pressure can make people liable to fainting, especially when they stand up quickly to get out. Improperly maintained water can promote the growth of bacteria that can cause folliculitis.

The main point of this passage is that

Chariots of Fire may have caught some professional critics off guard in 1982 as the Motion Picture Academy’s choice for an Oscar as the year’s best film, but it won wide audience approval as superb entertainment.

 Refreshingly, Chariots of Fire features an exciting story, enchanting English and Scottish scenery, a beautiful musical score, and appropriate costumes.

All of these attractions are added to a theme that extols traditional religious values—without a shred of offensive sex, violence, or profanity.

Too good to be true? See Chariots of Fire and judge for yourself.

Those who condemn the motion picture industry for producing so many objectionable films can do their part by patronizing wholesome ones, thereby encouraging future Academy Award judges to recognize and reward decency.

Which one of the following is a basic assumption underlying the final sentence of the passage?

• Which one of the following is a basic assumption underlying the final sentence of the passage?

Andy:  All teachers are mean.
Bob: That is not true. I know some  doctors who are mean, too.

Bob’s answer demonstrates that he thought

Andy to mean that

Theodore Roosevelt was a great hunter. He was the mighty Nimrod of his generation. He had the physical aptitude and adventurous spirit of the true frontiersman. “There is delight,” he said, “in the hardy life of the open; in long rides, rifle in hand; in the thrill of the fight with dangerous game.” But he was more than a marksman and tracker of beasts, for he brought to his sport the intellectual curiosity and patient observation of the natural scientist.

• Which one of the following would most weaken the author’s concluding contention?

The following is an excerpt from a letter sent to a law school applicant:

“Thank you for considering our school to further your education. Your application for admission was received well before the deadline and was processed with your admission test score and undergraduate grade report.

“We regret to inform you that you cannot be admitted for the fall semester. We have had to refuse admission to many outstanding candidates because of the recent cut in state funding of our program.

“Thank you for your interest in our school, and we wish you success in your future endeavors.”

• Which one of the following can be deduced from the above letter?

Questions 6–7

At birth we have no self-image. We cannot distinguish anything from the confusion of light and sound around us. From this beginning of no- dimension, we gradually begin to differentiate our body from our environment and develop a sense of identity, with the realization that we are a separate and independent human being. We then begin to develop a conscience, the sense of right and wrong. Further, we develop social consciousness, where we become aware that we live with other people. Finally, we develop a sense of values, which is our overall estimation of our worth in the world.

• Which one of the following would be the best completion of this passage?

Questions 6–7

At birth we have no self-image. We cannot distinguish anything from the confusion of light and sound around us. From this beginning of no- dimension, we gradually begin to differentiate our body from our environment and develop a sense of identity, with the realization that we are a separate and independent human being. We then begin to develop a conscience, the sense of right and wrong. Further, we develop social consciousness, where we become aware that we live with other people. Finally, we develop a sense of values, which is our overall estimation of our worth in the world.

• The author of this passage would most likely agree with which one of the following?

Editorial: A previously undisclosed transcript has revealed that Richard Nixon's secret White House slush fund that was used to silence the Watergate burglars came from illegally donated campaign money. After Nixon resigned, his successor, Gerald Ford, pardoned him. The same Gerald Ford has joined Presidents Carter and Bush in urging campaign funding reforms. Recent hearings have shown all too clearly that both parties have been guilty of highly questionable fundraising practices. Unless the laws are changed, the shoddy practices of the last thirty years will undoubtedly continue.

• Which one of the following most accurately states the main point of the argument?

Questions 9–10

In a report released last week, a government-funded
institute concluded that there is “overwhelming”
evidence that violence on television leads to
criminal behavior by children and teenagers.

The report, based on an extensive review of
several hundred research studies conducted during
the 1970s, is an update of a 1972 Surgeon
General’s report that came to similar conclusions.

• Which one of the following is the most convincing statement in support of the argument in the first paragraph above?

Questions 9–10

In a report released last week, a government-funded
institute concluded that there is “overwhelming”
evidence that violence on television leads to
criminal behavior by children and teenagers.

The report, based on an extensive review of
several hundred research studies conducted during
the 1970s, is an update of a 1972 Surgeon
General’s report that came to similar conclusions.

• The argument above is most weakened by its vague use of the word

Questions 11–12

Violence against racial and religious minority
groups increased sharply throughout the county
last year, despite a slight decline in statewide
figures. Compiling incidents from police
departments and private watchdog groups, the
County Human Relations Committee reported
almost 500 hate crimes in the year, up from only
200 last year. It was the first increase since the
committee began to report a yearly figure six years
ago. The lower statewide figures are probably in
error due to underreporting in other counties;
underreporting is the major problem that state
surveyors face each year.

• All of the following, if true, would support the conclusion or the explanation of the discrepancy in the state and county figures EXCEPT:

Questions 11–12

Violence against racial and religious minority
groups increased sharply throughout the county
last year, despite a slight decline in statewide
figures. Compiling incidents from police
departments and private watchdog groups, the
County Human Relations Committee reported
almost 500 hate crimes in the year, up from only
200 last year. It was the first increase since the
committee began to report a yearly figure six years
ago. The lower statewide figures are probably in
error due to underreporting in other counties;
underreporting is the major problem that state
surveyors face each year.

• The author of this passage makes his case by

The study of village communities has become one of the fundamental methods of discussing the ancient history of institutions. It would be out of the question here to range over the whole field of human society in search for communal arrangements of rural life. It will be sufficient to confine the present inquiry to the varieties presented by nations of Aryan race, not because greater importance is to be attached to these nations than to other branches of humankind, although this view might also be reasonably urged, but principally because the Aryan race in its history has gone through all manner of experiences, and the data gathered from its historical life can be tolerably well ascertained. Should the road be sufficiently cleared in this particular direction, it will not be difficult to connect the results with similar researches in other racial surroundings.

• Which one of the following, if true, most weakens the author’s conclusion?

Although any reasonable modern citizen of the world must abhor war and condemn senseless killing, we must also agree that honor is more valuable than life. Life, after all, is transient, but honor is ___________ .

• Which one of the following most logically completes the passage above?

Questions 15–16
Bill said, “All dogs bark. This animal does not
bark. Therefore it is not a dog.

• Which one of the following most closely parallels the logic of this statement?

Questions 15–16
Bill said, “All dogs bark. This animal does not
bark. Therefore it is not a dog.

• Which one of the following would weaken Bill’s argument the most?

In the last three years the number of arrests for burglary and robbery in Sandy Beach has declined by more than 30 percent. At the same time, the city has reduced the size of its police force by 25 percent

• Which one of the following helps to resolve an apparent discrepancy in the information above?

Questions 18–19

California and Nevada officials have questioned the impartiality of the board of scientists from the National Academy of Science who assess the safety of proposed nuclear dumping sites. They claim that the panels are heavily weighted in favor of the nuclear power companies that have been lobbying for the creation of nuclear dump sites in the deserts of the Southwest. At least ten members of the panels are or have been employees of the Department of Energy, but none is associated with any environmental organization. Environmentalists fear that long-lived nuclear wastes may leach into the groundwater and ultimately into the waters of the Colorado River. They also point out that 90 percent of the budget of the National Academy’s Radioactive Waste Management Board is provided by the Department of Energy. The inventory of radioactive waste has been growing larger and larger in temporary storage places, but so far there has been virtually no agreement about a permanent dump site.

• The officials who question the impartiality of the Management Board assume that the Department of Energy

Questions 18–19

California and Nevada officials have questioned the impartiality of the board of scientists from the National Academy of Science who assess the safety of proposed nuclear dumping sites. They claim that the panels are heavily weighted in favor of the nuclear power companies that have been lobbying for the creation of nuclear dump sites in the deserts of the Southwest. At least ten members of the panels are or have been employees of the Department of Energy, but none is associated with any environmental organization. Environmentalists fear that long-lived nuclear wastes may leach into the groundwater and ultimately into the waters of the Colorado River. They also point out that 90 percent of the budget of the National Academy’s Radioactive Waste Management Board is provided by the Department of Energy. The inventory of radioactive waste has been growing larger and larger in temporary storage places, but so far there has been virtually no agreement about a permanent dump site.

• The Nuclear Waste Management Board could best allay doubt of its impartiality if it were to

The law of parsimony urges a strict economy
upon us; it requires that we can never make a
guess with two or three assumptions in it if
we can make sense with one.

• Which one of the following is the main point of the author’s statement?

Fifty of the 150 businesses in Cutbright
Township have closed during the last calendar
year. Since the number of businesses in a
community is a sign of economic health, it is
obvious that Cutbright Township has
experienced serious economic decline.

Which one of the following is an assumption upon which the argument depends?

To be admitted to Bigshot University, you
must have a 3.5 grade-point average (GPA)
and a score of 800 on the admissions test, a
3.0 GPA and a score of 1,000 on the
admissions test, or a 2.5 GPA and a score of
1,200 on the admissions test. A sliding scale
exists for other scores and GPAs.

• Which one of the following is inconsistent with the above?

The Census Bureau’s family portrait of
America may remind us of the problems we
face as a nation, but it also gives us reason to
take heart in our ability to solve them in an
enlightened way. The 1980 census was the
first in history to show that the majority of
the population in every state has completed
high school. And the percentage of our people
with at least 4 years of college rose from 11
percent in 1970 to 16.3 percent in 1980.
That’s progress—where it really counts.

• Which one of the following assumptions underlies the author’s conclusion in the above passage?

Advertisement: Add No-NOCK to your car
and watch its performance soar. No-NOCK
will give it more get-up-and-go and keep it
running longer. Ask for No-NOCK when you
want better mileage!

• According to the advertisement above, No- NOCK claims to do everything EXCEPT:

o many arrogant and ill-tempered young
men have dominated the tennis courts of
late that we have begun to fear that those
characteristics were prerequisites for
championship tennis.
Tennis used to be a gentleman’s game.
What is sad is not just that the game has
changed. With so much importance placed
on success, it may be that something has gone
out of the American character—such things
as gentleness and graciousness.

• Which one of the following statements, if true, would most weaken the above argument?

Dolores: To preserve the peace, we must be
prepared to go to war with any nation at any
time, using either conventional or nuclear
weapons.

Fran: Which shall it be, conventional weapons or nuclear weapons?

• Fran mistakenly concludes that the “either . . . or” phrase in Dolores’s statement indicates