Medium LSAT Evaluate Questions With Answers Practice Questions

Evaluate the argument questions on the LSAT require you to identify a specific piece of information that would help determine the validity or strength of a conclusion. These questions act as a bridge between strengthening and weakening tasks, as the correct answer choice will present a question or a variable that, depending on its outcome, could either support or undermine the author's reasoning. By focusing on the logical gap between the premises and the conclusion, you can effectively navigate these medium-difficulty challenges on the LSAT Prep journey.

Concept Explanation

Evaluate the argument questions ask you to find the information that is most critical to assessing whether the argument's conclusion is likely to be true. To solve these, you must first identify the core argument—specifically the premises and the conclusion—and then find the "missing link" or the assumption the author is making. A highly effective technique for these questions is the "Variance Test." This involves taking an answer choice and providing two polar opposite responses to it (e.g., "Yes" and "No," or "High" and "Low"). If one response strengthens the argument and the other response weakens it, you have found the correct answer. If the conclusion remains unaffected regardless of the response, that choice is irrelevant to the evaluation. This skill is closely related to identifying flaws, which is also a major component of advanced reading comprehension and logical analysis.

Solved Examples

1. Example 1: The Health Supplement
   Argument: A new herbal supplement, HerbX, was given to 100 people with the common cold. Within three days, 90% of them reported feeling better. Therefore, HerbX is an effective treatment for the common cold.
   Question: Which of the following would be most useful to know in evaluating the argument?
   Solution:
   1. Identify the conclusion: HerbX is effective.
   2. Identify the evidence: 90% of users felt better in three days.
   3. Apply the Variance Test: What if we ask, "How many people with a cold feel better within three days without taking HerbX?"
   4. Analyze: If the answer is "90%," the supplement did nothing (weakens). If the answer is "10%," the supplement is highly effective (strengthens). This is the key information needed.
2. Example 2: The Corporate Policy
   Argument: The company's new remote work policy will lead to higher productivity because employees will spend less time commuting and more time working.
   Question: Which of the following is most important to determine in evaluating the argument?
   Solution:
   1. The author assumes that time saved from commuting will actually be spent on work tasks.
   2. Consider the question: "Do home environments present distractions that offset the time gained from not commuting?"
   3. Analyze: If "Yes," productivity might drop (weakens). If "No," productivity likely rises (strengthens).
3. Example 3: The Rare Bird
   Argument: Ornithologists recently spotted a rare blue-crested warbler in a local park. Since this bird only inhabits old-growth forests, the local park must contain sections of old-growth forest.
   Question: Which of the following would be most useful to evaluate the argument?
   Solution:
   1. The conclusion relies on the bird's presence being a definitive indicator of the forest type.
   2. Consider: "Was the spotted bird a permanent resident or a migratory bird passing through?"
   3. Analyze: If it was just passing through, its presence doesn't prove the park has old-growth forest (weakens). If it is a resident, the conclusion is much stronger.

Practice Questions

1. A local city council plans to reduce traffic congestion by increasing the toll on the main bridge during peak hours. They argue that the higher cost will encourage drivers to use public transportation instead.

Which of the following would be most important to determine in evaluating the city council's plan?

1. Whether the bridge currently operates at a profit or a loss.
2. Whether there are alternative routes available that do not require a toll.
3. The percentage of drivers who live within walking distance of their workplace.
4. Whether the revenue from the toll increase will be used to fund public transit.

2. Studies show that students who participate in organized sports have higher GPAs than those who do not. Therefore, schools should increase funding for sports programs to improve overall academic performance.

Which of the following would be most useful to know in evaluating the argument?

1. Whether students with naturally higher academic motivation are more likely to join sports teams.
2. The specific types of sports that show the highest correlation with GPA.
3. Whether the cost of sports equipment has increased in recent years.
4. The average GPA of students who participate in non-athletic extracurricular activities.

3. A tech company noticed that employees who take a 15-minute nap in the afternoon are more focused during the final two hours of the workday. The company plans to install "nap pods" to increase total daily output.

Which of the following is most important to determine?

1. Whether the employees who nap are already the most productive members of the staff.
2. Whether the increased focus during the final two hours compensates for the 15 minutes of lost work time.
3. How much the installation and maintenance of the nap pods will cost.
4. Whether other companies in the same industry have successfully used nap pods.

4. Recent data suggests that houses with solar panels sell for 5% more than identical houses without them. Therefore, installing solar panels is a guaranteed way for homeowners to make a profit when selling their homes.

Which of the following would be most useful to evaluate the argument?

1. The average cost of installing solar panels compared to the 5% increase in home value.
2. The length of time a typical house stays on the market before being sold.
3. Whether the buyers of these houses were specifically looking for eco-friendly features.
4. The number of solar panel manufacturers currently operating in the region.

5. A government agency claims that a new regulation on factory emissions will significantly improve local air quality. They base this on the fact that the regulation targets the three largest factories in the valley.

Which of the following is most important to evaluate the agency's claim?

1. Whether the three largest factories are responsible for the majority of the total emissions in the valley.
2. Whether the factories will pass the cost of compliance on to consumers.
3. The number of employees working at the three factories.
4. Whether the regulation will be enforced by local or federal authorities.

6. An archeologist discovered pottery shards in a coastal cave and concluded that the cave was used as a permanent settlement by an ancient civilization. The shards are of a style known to be used for long-term food storage.

Which of the following would be most useful to know in evaluating the archeologist's conclusion?

1. Whether similar pottery has been found in other caves in the same region.
2. Whether the shards could have been left by nomadic groups who used the cave temporarily for storage.
3. The exact chemical composition of the clay used to make the pottery.
4. How many different types of pottery styles were used by that civilization.

7. A marketing firm argues that their new social media campaign will increase sales for a luxury watch brand because the campaign reached over 5 million users.

Which of the following is most important to determine?

1. What percentage of the 5 million users can afford a luxury watch.
2. The cost per click of the social media advertisements.
3. Whether the watch brand has a strong reputation among existing customers.
4. How many other luxury brands are currently running social media campaigns.

8. A nutritionist claims that switching from white rice to brown rice will help people lose weight because brown rice contains more fiber, which promotes a feeling of fullness.

Which of the following would be most useful to evaluate the claim?

1. Whether individuals who switch to brown rice tend to increase their overall caloric intake from other sources.
2. The price difference between a pound of white rice and a pound of brown rice.
3. The amount of time it takes to cook brown rice compared to white rice.
4. Whether the participants in the study enjoyed the taste of brown rice.

Answers & Explanations

1. Answer: B. The goal is to reduce congestion by forcing people to public transit. If alternative non-toll routes exist, drivers might just switch routes rather than switching to public transit, which would not solve the congestion problem.
2. Answer: A. This addresses a potential "reverse causation" or "third factor" flaw. If motivated students are simply more likely to play sports, then the sports themselves aren't causing the higher GPAs.
3. Answer: B. The Variance Test: If the focus gain is greater than the 15-minute loss, the plan works. If the focus gain is negligible compared to the lost time, the plan fails to increase total output.
4. Answer: A. Profit is defined as Revenue minus Cost. Knowing the revenue (5% increase) is useless without knowing the cost of installation. If installation costs more than 5% of the home's value, there is no profit.
5. Answer: A. If the three largest factories only account for 5% of total emissions (perhaps because there are hundreds of small ones), the regulation won't "significantly improve" air quality.
6. Answer: B. The argument assumes storage implies permanent settlement. If nomadic groups used it for temporary storage, the conclusion of "permanent settlement" is weakened.
7. Answer: A. Reach does not equal sales. If none of the 5 million people can afford the product, the campaign will not increase sales.
8. Answer: B. Weight loss depends on a calorie deficit. If people feel full from the rice but eat more high-calorie snacks later, or if the fiber doesn't actually lead to lower total calories, the claim fails.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the difference between an Evaluate question and a Weaken question?

A Weaken question asks for information that actively hurts the argument, whereas an Evaluate question asks for a topic that is undecided. The correct answer in an Evaluate question provides a "hinge" that could either strengthen or weaken the argument depending on the specific facts discovered.

Can I use the Variance Test on every LSAT Logical Reasoning question?

No, the Variance Test is specifically designed for Evaluate the Argument questions. While it helps clarify the relationship between premises and conclusions, applying it to vocabulary-based questions or Must Be True questions will likely lead to confusion.

How do I identify Evaluate questions in the Logical Reasoning section?

These questions typically use specific keywords such as "evaluate," "assess," "useful to know," or "most important to determine." They always ask you to identify what information is missing to make a judgment on the argument's quality.

Are Evaluate questions common on the LSAT?

They appear less frequently than Strengthen or Weaken questions, usually appearing once or twice per section. However, they are considered high-yield because the skills required to solve them are identical to those needed for most other critical thinking tasks on the exam.

What should I do if two answer choices seem relevant?

Apply the Variance Test to both. Usually, one choice will stay relevant even with extreme answers, while the other will only affect the argument in one specific scenario. The correct choice must be able to both strengthen and weaken the conclusion based on the answer provided.

Should I focus on the premises or the conclusion first?

Always focus on the conclusion first to understand what the author is trying to prove. Once you know the goal, look at the premises to see the specific path the author took to get there, and identify any jumps in logic between the two. You can practice this using tools like the AI Question Generator to see how different premises interact with conclusions.