Medium LSAT Logical Reasoning Questions With Answers Practice Questions

Concept Explanation

Medium LSAT Logical Reasoning questions evaluate your ability to analyze, evaluate, and complete arguments by identifying underlying assumptions, flaws, and logical structures.

The Logical Reasoning section of the Law School Admission Council's LSAT typically accounts for approximately 50% of your total score, making it the most significant component of the exam. Medium-level questions often move beyond simple identification and require you to recognize subtle shifts in scope or distinguish between necessary and sufficient conditions. To succeed, you must understand the relationship between the premises (the evidence) and the conclusion (the claim). Common question types include Flaw, Assumption, Strengthen/Weaken, and Inference. Unlike easier questions, medium-difficulty items frequently use "filler" information or complex syntax to obscure the core argument. Effective practice involves stripping away this extra verbiage to find the skeleton of the logic. For those looking to broaden their critical thinking skills, exploring hard GRE critical reasoning questions can offer valuable cross-training in identifying logical fallacies.

Solved Examples

Reviewing these solved examples helps clarify the step-by-step process needed to deconstruct medium-difficulty LSAT arguments.

1. Identify the Flaw: "Every time the local sports team wins, the city's overall retail sales increase. Therefore, winning sports teams are the primary driver of economic growth in our city."
   1. Identify the Conclusion: Winning sports teams drive economic growth.
   2. Identify the Premise: There is a correlation between wins and retail sales.
   3. Analyze the Gap: The argument assumes correlation implies causation. It ignores other factors, like seasonal shopping or holidays, that might cause both wins and sales to rise.
   4. Select the Flaw: The argument mistakes a correlation for a causal relationship.
2. Necessary Assumption: "If the new highway is built, traffic in the downtown area will decrease. Thus, the city council should approve the highway project to improve the quality of life for downtown residents."
   1. Identify the Conclusion: The council should approve the highway to improve quality of life.
   2. Identify the Premise: The highway will decrease downtown traffic.
   3. Identify the Assumption: The argument assumes that a decrease in traffic is sufficient to improve quality of life, or at least that no other negative effects of the highway (like noise pollution) will outweigh the traffic benefits.
   4. Test the Assumption: If noise pollution from the highway actually made life worse despite less traffic, the conclusion would fail.
3. Inference: "No professional athletes who skip practice are eligible for the championship. Some athletes on the Tigers team have skipped practice."
   1. Map the Logic: Skip Practice $\rightarrow$ Not Eligible.
   2. Apply the Facts: Tigers (Some) $\rightarrow$ Skip Practice.
   3. Combine: Some Tigers $\rightarrow$ Skip Practice $\rightarrow$ Not Eligible.
   4. Valid Inference: At least some members of the Tigers team are not eligible for the championship.

Practice Questions

Test your skills with these 10 Medium LSAT Logical Reasoning Questions With Answers designed to mimic the actual exam's complexity.

1. Many dietitians claim that eating breakfast is essential for weight loss. However, a recent study showed that people who skip breakfast consume fewer total calories throughout the day than those who eat breakfast. Therefore, skipping breakfast is actually a more effective strategy for weight loss. Which of the following, if true, most weakens the argument?
2. All successful entrepreneurs possess a high degree of risk tolerance. Sarah has a very high degree of risk tolerance. Therefore, Sarah will be a successful entrepreneur. The reasoning in the argument is flawed because it:
3. The city's park department should not install new lighting in West Park. Last year, when lighting was installed in East Park, the number of reported crimes in that park increased by 15%. Which of the following is an assumption required by the argument?

4. Most people who own a smartphone also own a laptop. Most people who own a laptop use it for work. Therefore, some people who own a smartphone use their laptop for work. Is this conclusion logically valid?
5. If the company's profits increase this quarter, all employees will receive a bonus. No employees received a bonus. What can be logically concluded?
6. A study found that children who play musical instruments perform better on math tests than children who do not. The researchers concluded that musical training improves mathematical ability. Which of the following most strengthens the argument?
7. Journalist: The mayor claims that the new tax will only affect the wealthy. But the tax applies to any individual earning over $100,000. Many people earning $100,000 do not consider themselves wealthy. Thus, the mayor's claim is false. The journalist’s argument is vulnerable to criticism because it:
8. Every member of the board voted in favor of the merger. Since Harold is a member of the board, Harold must have voted in favor of the merger. What is the logical structure of this argument?
9. Some novelists are also poets. All poets are sensitive individuals. Therefore, some novelists are sensitive individuals. Is this argument valid?
10. Recent data shows that 80% of accidents at the intersection of Maple and 4th involve drivers who were speeding. To reduce accidents, the city should install speed bumps. This argument assumes that:

Answers & Explanations

1. Answer: The study did not account for the metabolic rate of breakfast skippers. Explanation: If skipping breakfast lowers the body's metabolism, a person might lose less weight even if they consume fewer calories. This breaks the link between "fewer calories" and "effective weight loss."
2. Answer: It treats a necessary condition as a sufficient condition. Explanation: Risk tolerance is necessary for success, but it doesn't guarantee it. Sarah has the trait, but she might lack other necessary traits like capital or a good product.
3. Answer: The increase in crime in East Park was caused by the installation of lighting. Explanation: The argument relies on a causal link. If the crime increase was due to some other factor, the evidence from East Park is irrelevant to West Park.
4. Answer: Yes. Explanation: Because "most" means more than 50%, the overlap between smartphone owners and laptop owners, combined with the laptop-to-work majority, ensures at least one person fits all categories.
5. Answer: The company's profits did not increase this quarter. Explanation: This is a modus tollens structure. If $P \rightarrow B$, then $\text{not } B \rightarrow \text{not } P$.
6. Answer: A follow-up study showed that children's math scores improved only after they began music lessons. Explanation: This establishes a temporal sequence, making it more likely that music caused the math improvement rather than math-gifted kids simply choosing music.
7. Answer: It relies on a subjective definition of "wealthy" to contradict a policy definition. Explanation: The mayor defines wealth by a dollar amount (> $100,000); the journalist tries to refute this using people's personal feelings about their own wealth.
8. Answer: It applies a general rule about a group to a specific member of that group. Explanation: This is a classic deductive syllogism ($\text{All } A \text{ are } B; X \text{ is } A; \text{ therefore } X \text{ is } B$).
9. Answer: Yes. Explanation: If some Novelists are Poets, and all Poets are Sensitive, then those specific Novelists who are Poets must be Sensitive.
10. Answer: Speed bumps will actually be effective in reducing the speed of drivers at that intersection. Explanation: If drivers ignore speed bumps or if the bumps don't slow them down, the proposed solution won't achieve the goal of reducing accidents.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I identify the conclusion in LSAT Logical Reasoning?

Look for indicator words like "therefore," "thus," "consequently," or "so," but also pay attention to the author's main claim or the statement that all other sentences are trying to support. Often, the conclusion is the most controversial or opinionated sentence in the stimulus.

What is the difference between a sufficient and a necessary assumption?

A sufficient assumption is a piece of information that, if added to the argument, makes the conclusion 100% logically certain. A necessary assumption is something that must be true for the argument to even have a chance of being valid, though it might not prove the conclusion on its own.

How should I handle questions with the word "EXCEPT"?

When you see "EXCEPT," you are looking for the one answer choice that does NOT perform the task described. For example, in a "Weaken EXCEPT" question, four choices will weaken the argument, and the correct answer will either strengthen it or do nothing at all.

Why are conditional statements so important on the LSAT?

Conditional logic (if-then statements) forms the backbone of many LSAT questions because it allows the test to create rigid rules that can be combined or manipulated. Mastering the contrapositive and avoiding the "fallacy of the inverse" is essential for high scores.

Can I use outside knowledge to answer Logical Reasoning questions?

No, you should strictly use the information provided in the stimulus. The LSAT is testing your ability to process the logic presented, and bringing in outside facts can often lead you to choose "distractor" answers that are factually true but logically irrelevant to the specific argument.