LSAT Logical Reasoning: Paradox and Explain Questions 4

Question 1

A technology startup gave all employees unlimited paid vacation days, expecting improved morale and retention. Instead, employees took fewer vacation days than under the old fixed-allotment system. Which of the following most helps explain this?

Accepted Answer

Without a defined allotment, employees had no social norm or benchmark for what was acceptable to take, creating pressure to appear maximally committed.

Answer

Removing a defined allotment eliminates the implicit permission structure, leaving employees uncertain about norms and inclined to take less to signal dedication.

Question 2

A country's government raised the minimum wage, intending to help low-income workers. Economic data showed that average household income among the lowest-earning quintile fell in the following year. Which of the following most helps explain this paradox?

Accepted Answer

Some employers responded by reducing employee hours or cutting positions, leaving total income for some workers lower despite the higher hourly rate.

Answer

If employers reduce hours or eliminate positions in response to higher mandated wages, some workers' total annual earnings decline even as the per-hour rate rises.

Question 3

A marathon training app added real-time heart rate monitoring and warned runners when they were overexerting. Yet the injury rate among app users increased compared to runners using no training app. Which of the following best explains this paradox?

Accepted Answer

Runners who used no app were mostly experienced veterans who already knew their limits; app users were beginners who ran more aggressively once they felt technologically monitored.

Answer

Selection bias explains the finding: beginners disproportionately use apps and have higher baseline injury rates regardless of the app's utility.

Question 4

A nonprofit distributed free mosquito nets to a region with high malaria rates. After two years, malaria cases in the region had not declined. Which of the following most helps explain this finding?

Accepted Answer

Residents used the nets during the day but slept outdoors at night without them, because daytime napping was culturally more common than nighttime sleeping under nets.

Answer

If sleeping patterns mean nets are used at the wrong time, their protective function is negated even though they are physically present in homes.

Question 5

A university switched from letter grades to detailed written evaluations, believing this would reduce student anxiety about grades and improve learning. Student anxiety scores, however, increased after the switch. Which of the following most helps explain this?

Accepted Answer

Graduate school admissions and employers continued to expect letter grades, and the uncertainty about how written evaluations would be interpreted created new sources of anxiety.

Answer

External stakeholders' continued reliance on letter grades meant that written evaluations created uncertainty about future outcomes, generating more anxiety than letter grades had.

LSAT - Law School Admission Test Practice Test

LSAT - Law School Admission Test Practice Test

LSAT Logical Reasoning: Paradox and Explain Questions 4