LSAT Reading Comprehension: Science and Law Passages 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: A science passage describes a researcher who disputes the mainstream interpretation of fossil evidence, arguing that existing data supports an alternative evolutionary timeline. The author's primary purpose is most likely to:
- Refute the mainstream interpretation and endorse the alternative
- Present the researcher's argument and evaluate its merits relative to mainstream views (Correct answer)
- Summarize the history of evolutionary biology as a discipline
- Argue that fossil evidence is inherently unreliable for dating purposes
Correct answer: Present the researcher's argument and evaluate its merits relative to mainstream views
LSAT RC passages presenting a dissenting scientific view typically ask readers to identify the author's balanced evaluative purpose rather than a one-sided endorsement.
Question 2: A legal passage states: 'Courts have consistently held that evidence obtained in violation of the Fourth Amendment is inadmissible, yet exceptions carved out over decades have significantly narrowed this exclusionary rule.' The word 'carved' most nearly suggests that the exceptions were:
- Created deliberately and incrementally through judicial decisions (Correct answer)
- Discovered as pre-existing principles within constitutional text
- Imposed by legislative action rather than courts
- Applied uniformly across all jurisdictions simultaneously
Correct answer: Created deliberately and incrementally through judicial decisions
The metaphor of 'carving' implies active, deliberate shaping over time, consistent with incremental judicial decision-making.
Question 3: According to an LSAT science passage on climate modeling, scientists use ensemble models rather than single models primarily because:
- Single models require more computational resources than ensemble models
- Ensemble models average out individual model biases and better capture uncertainty (Correct answer)
- Regulatory agencies mandate the use of multiple models for legal compliance
- Single models consistently underestimate warming trends
Correct answer: Ensemble models average out individual model biases and better capture uncertainty
Ensemble approaches are valued in climate science for reducing bias through averaging and representing the range of possible outcomes.
Question 4: A law passage discusses strict liability torts, noting that defendants are held liable regardless of fault. Which of the following, if true, would most strengthen the argument that strict liability promotes social welfare?
- Strict liability cases take longer to litigate than negligence cases
- Manufacturers subject to strict liability invest more in product safety than those subject only to negligence standards (Correct answer)
- Strict liability was historically applied only to ultrahazardous activities
- Courts apply strict liability inconsistently across different product categories
Correct answer: Manufacturers subject to strict liability invest more in product safety than those subject only to negligence standards
Evidence that strict liability incentivizes safety investment directly supports the social welfare justification by showing a beneficial behavioral change.
Question 5: A comparative reading passage pairs a scientific study on cognitive bias with a legal scholar's essay on jury decision-making. The most likely reason the test makers paired these passages is to:
- Show that scientific and legal reasoning are fundamentally incompatible
- Illustrate how empirical findings about cognition can illuminate and challenge legal assumptions (Correct answer)
- Argue that juries should be replaced by algorithmic decision systems
- Demonstrate that cognitive bias affects scientists more than lawyers
Correct answer: Illustrate how empirical findings about cognition can illuminate and challenge legal assumptions
Comparative passages typically pair texts to show how insights from one field apply to or complicate assumptions in another.
Question 6: In an LSAT passage, the author states that a proposed environmental regulation 'conflates correlation with causation.' This critique suggests the regulation's proponents:
- Relied on evidence gathered without proper controls
- Assumed that because two phenomena co-occur, one causes the other (Correct answer)
- Used outdated scientific methodology in their supporting studies
- Failed to consider the economic costs of implementing the regulation
Correct answer: Assumed that because two phenomena co-occur, one causes the other
Conflating correlation with causation means inferring a causal relationship from mere co-occurrence without establishing a causal mechanism.
Question 7: A science-law passage discusses patent eligibility for genetic sequences. The author would most likely agree that:
- All naturally occurring genetic sequences should be freely patentable
- The distinction between discovery and invention is central to determining patent eligibility for genetic material (Correct answer)
- Patent law should be interpreted exclusively by scientists rather than courts
- Genetic sequences patented before 2013 should be retroactively invalidated
Correct answer: The distinction between discovery and invention is central to determining patent eligibility for genetic material
The discovery-versus-invention distinction is the foundational legal question in genetic patent eligibility cases, particularly after Association for Molecular Pathology v. Myriad Genetics.
LSAT Reading Comprehension: Science and Law Passages 2
A science passage describes a researcher who disputes the mainstream interpretation of fossil evidence, arguing that existing data supports an alternative evolutionary timeline.
The author's primary purpose is most likely to: