PrepTest 113, Section 1, Question 22
Recent investigations into the psychology of decision making(450 more words not shown)
Suppose that a country seizes(44 more words not shown)
- Athe country's actions(11 more words not shown)
- Bthe new research(34 more words not shown)
- Cin spite of(23 more words not shown)
- Dthe facts of(21 more words not shown)
- Ethe country's leaders(16 more words not shown)
Reading the passage
My first thought is about the neighboring country: if it sees territory being taken away, it may fight hard to recover it. But that prediction doesn't tell us how the whole conflict will unfold, and the choices may use a different part of the account.
What we’re looking for
Look at the facts we're given: great mineral wealth, with a risk of moderate, easily tolerable harm. Concomitant means accompanying, not equal. That comparison gives us another way to assess the seizure.
Working the answers
- ACorrect
The older view allows people to take risks when the expected benefit is large enough to compensate for them. Great mineral wealth with a tolerable downside fits that view. This isn't the answer I initially predicted about the neighbor fighting back, but it is supported by the stated benefit and risk. Consistent doesn't mean we've proved the leaders' motives or calculated the venture's exact value.
- B
Why assume they weigh it similarly? One country seeks a gain; the other may see a loss. The research gives us a reason those positions could produce different attitudes toward risk.
- C
Nothing establishes that the risks outweigh the mineral wealth. Wondering how hard the neighbor will resist isn't enough to prove that comparison.
- D
The large benefit and tolerable downside could explain the choice. These facts don't establish that the government must have some other motive.
- E
We aren't told that the aggressor views the territory as something it previously lost. It might simply want the minerals.
More Application questions
Learn the LSAT our way
Our platform drills Application questions at your level and adjusts as you improve.