PrepTest 110, Section 2, Question 25
Although wood-burning stoves are more efficient than open(45 more words not shown)
Which one of the following,(7 more words not shown)
- AThe most efficient(10 more words not shown)
- BThe amount of(20 more words not shown)
- COpen fireplaces pose(12 more words not shown)
- DOpen fireplaces also(7 more words not shown)
- EHomeowners in warm(7 more words not shown)
Reading the argument
An open fire sounds as though it could have dangers a closed stove doesn't. Someone might accidentally come into contact with the flames. On the other hand, perhaps people are more cautious around a visible fire and underestimate how hot a stove is. Before hearing the evidence, I wouldn't assume we already know which is safer.
The author takes us in a different direction: cooler smoke from a wood-burning stove moves more slowly and leaves more flammable material in the chimney. All right, that's a possible danger. But how often does it lead to a fire? What if the chimney is regularly cleaned? And what about the other dangers of an open fireplace?
What we’re looking for
The conclusion is a comparison. Showing that a stove has a risk doesn't establish that it is more dangerous than a fireplace overall. To weaken the argument, I'd look for a problem with that comparison, such as a serious danger from open fireplaces that the discussion of chimney deposits leaves out.
Working the answers
- A
Producing creosote isn't the same as depositing it inside the chimney. A fireplace could produce more while sending more of it out with the smoke. The argument concerns the residue that remains behind. A also compares the most efficient stoves with many fireplaces, rather than establishing the general safety comparison. It doesn't address the danger as directly as C does.
- B
How often each device is used could matter, but B doesn't tell us whether people use stoves or fireplaces more. It gives another influence on creosote production without showing how that influence changes the comparison. We still don't know which presents the greater danger.
- CCorrect
This supplies a danger the author's comparison leaves out. Open fireplaces pose more risk of severe accidents inside the home. That gives us a reason to question the claim that wood-burning stoves are more dangerous overall merely because of what happens in their chimneys.
The answer doesn't have to prove that fireplaces are worse after every risk has been weighed. It weakens the author's case by pointing to a serious risk that runs in the other direction. More chimney buildup isn't enough to settle the overall safety comparison.
- D
A large amount isn't necessarily more than a stove produces or deposits. The author already allows that fireplaces produce creosote; the claim is that stoves leave more of it in the chimney. D doesn't establish that the comparative claim is wrong, and it supplies no additional danger that changes the overall comparison.
- E
Using either device infrequently doesn't tell us which is more dangerous when used. Both could be rare in a warm climate while one remains more hazardous than the other. We need information about their relative risks, not simply where people seldom use them.
More Weaken questions
Learn the LSAT our way
Our platform drills Weaken questions at your level and adjusts as you improve.