PrepTest 144, Section 4, Question 17
Ostrich farming requires far less acreage than cattle(71 more words not shown)
Which one of the following(8 more words not shown)
- ATwo pairs of(13 more words not shown)
- BCattle ranching is(6 more words not shown)
- CA cow consumes(7 more words not shown)
- DThe average ostrich(13 more words not shown)
- EOstrich farmers typically(6 more words not shown)
Reading the argument
Four ostriches and one acre, yet starting the ostrich farm costs more? Those birds must be expensive—or there must be another cost we haven't been told about.
Compare the setup described for each business. Cattle ranching needs a large herd, a bull, and at least two acres per cow. Ostrich farming needs two pairs of yearlings, which is four birds, and just one acre of similar land. The land requirement is much smaller, but the overall start-up cost is greater.
That makes the price of the animals a natural place to look. Perhaps buying those four ostriches costs more than buying the cattle. We should keep some caution: the passage doesn't expressly rule out other costs, such as special equipment or feed.
What we’re looking for
Fortunately, the question asks what is most strongly supported, not what has been established beyond every possible doubt. Keep the cost comparison in mind, then compare it with what the other answers require.
Working the answers
- ACorrect
The described setup uses far less similar land but has higher start-up costs, supporting the idea that the four young ostriches cost more than the herd and bull. Another unmentioned expense could complicate that account, so this isn't a perfect deduction from an exhaustive list of costs. It is nevertheless the answer best supported by the actual comparison, while the others make claims the passage gives us no comparable basis to accept.
- B
A business can be a good source of income even if another business can bring in more. Cattle ranching might be profitable and worthwhile. The possibility of greater ostrich-farming income doesn't make cattle ranching a bad business.
- C
Land needed isn't the same as feed consumed. We aren't told how much either animal eats, so we cannot make this per-animal comparison from the acreage figures.
- D
“Can eventually bring in as much as five times” describes a possible outcome, not the average farm's results. It also doesn't give us the costs needed to compare profits. D turns a possibility about income into a claim about typical profit.
- E
A large initial expense doesn't establish a first-year loss. Revenue during that year might still exceed the expenses. The passage doesn't give us the timing and amounts needed to say what typically happens in year one.
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.