PrepTest 129, Section 2, Question 10
Dairy farmer: On our farm, we have great(46 more words not shown)
Of the following propositions, which(9 more words not shown)
- ADairy cows cannot(15 more words not shown)
- BFarming practices introduced(14 more words not shown)
- CMore than other(12 more words not shown)
- DThe productivity of(15 more words not shown)
- EThe key to(14 more words not shown)
Reading the argument
The farmer says the cows' conditions have improved, including more comfortable sleeping arrangements. Let's accept that stated benefit. The explanation of why the farm made these changes then turns toward production: greater blood flow to the udder is intended to increase milk output and, in turn, profits.
So the same practice can have two favorable outcomes. The cows become more comfortable, and the farm expects to make more money. Caring about the animals' conditions and pursuing a financial benefit can fit together.
What we’re looking for
For a proposition illustrated by these statements, I would predict something about those compatible benefits. We have an example in which improving the animals' lives also serves the business.
Working the answers
- A
This makes knowledge of milk-production physiology necessary for comfortable living conditions. The example does not establish that requirement. A farmer could conceivably provide comfortable bedding simply because it seems comfortable, without understanding the physiological effects. One farm's explanation does not rule out that possibility.
- BCorrect
A practice pursued for greater profits can also improve the animals' living conditions. The mattresses and other changes supply the improvement; the intended increase in blood flow, milk output, and profits supplies the business purpose.
Was profit the only motive? The passage does not say so, and B does not require it. The stated intention to increase blood flow, followed by the explanation of its financial benefit, supports reading profit as a purpose of the changes. That modest inference fits the example without denying that the farmer also cares about comfort.
- C
We hear only about dairy cows. There is no evidence about how pigs, chickens, or other farm animals respond to improved conditions. A favorable effect on cows does not establish that their response is greater than other animals' responses.
- D
Milk quality never enters the farmer's explanation. The passage describes greater output and profit, not a rule that productivity should increase only when product quality is preserved. D adds a recommendation on an issue the example does not address.
- E
A way to improve profits need not be the key to maximizing them. Prices, costs, and other practices could matter too. The farmer identifies a beneficial connection between comfort and production without establishing that environmental concern is the decisive factor in farm profitability.
More Must Be True questions
Learn the LSAT our way
Our platform drills Must Be True questions at your level and adjusts as you improve.