LSAT Reading Comprehension: Science and Law Passages 5

Question 1

A passage on administrative law and scientific agencies states that courts reviewing agency scientific determinations apply a 'highly deferential arbitrary and capricious standard.' Which of the following best explains why courts apply this deferential standard?

Accepted Answer

Agencies possess specialized technical expertise that generalist judges lack

Answer

The rationale for deferring to agency scientific judgments is institutional competence—agencies employ specialists whose expertise courts cannot replicate.

Question 2

In an LSAT reading passage, an ecologist argues that habitat fragmentation reduces biodiversity by creating 'island effects' that limit species migration. A lawyer citing this passage in an environmental case would most directly use it to argue that:

Accepted Answer

Road construction that fragments contiguous habitat may cause legally cognizable environmental harm

Answer

The island-effect argument most directly supports a legal claim that habitat fragmentation causes harm—exactly the factual predicate a litigant would cite in an environmental case.

Question 3

A passage presents a study showing that jurisdictions with mandatory minimum sentencing have not experienced lower crime rates than jurisdictions without such laws. The author then notes that legislators who passed these laws cited deterrence as the primary justification. The author's purpose in juxtaposing these two points is most likely to:

Accepted Answer

Question whether the empirical basis for mandatory minimums supports the deterrence rationale legislators invoked

Answer

By contrasting the empirical evidence with the stated legislative justification, the author invites scrutiny of whether the policy achieves its stated goal.

Question 4

A science passage describes the development of mRNA vaccine technology, noting that it had been researched for decades before COVID-19 created conditions for rapid deployment. This historical context most likely serves to:

Accepted Answer

Counter the perception that mRNA vaccines were developed recklessly quickly by showing the underlying science was mature

Answer

Providing the decades-long research history addresses the concern that speed of development reflected inadequate safety testing.

Question 5

An LSAT passage about the Frye standard and the Daubert standard for expert scientific testimony states that Frye requires evidence to be 'generally accepted' in the relevant scientific community. Which of the following is a recognized criticism of the Frye standard compared to Daubert?

Accepted Answer

Frye may exclude novel but well-validated scientific methods that have not yet achieved widespread acceptance

Answer

The classic Frye criticism is that the general-acceptance requirement can exclude cutting-edge, rigorously validated science that has simply not yet gained mainstream adoption.

LSAT - Law School Admission Test Practice Test

LSAT - Law School Admission Test Practice Test

LSAT Reading Comprehension: Science and Law Passages 5