PrepTest 156, Section 3, Question 25
Organic chemist Larry Koskan's inspiration arrived in the(447 more words not shown)
It can most reasonably be(24 more words not shown)
- Awas a result(17 more words not shown)
- Bwas not primarily(8 more words not shown)
- Cwas not due(9 more words not shown)
- Dwas a result(13 more words not shown)
- Ewas due to(10 more words not shown)
Reading the passage
Why did the big companies back away? The estimated price was four to five times the established alternative's price. They had already reached a consensus that polyaspartate was the most suitable replacement, so the problem wasn't simply that they thought it didn't work.
What we’re looking for
Our prediction is a cost-based explanation. The correct answer may express the other side of that distinction: a belief in ineffectiveness wasn't what caused the withdrawal.
Working the answers
- A
No concerns about human health are given. The stated obstacle is the price of the material.
- B
This identifies the right subject—costs and profits—but denies its importance. The price estimate immediately precedes the industry's loss of interest, and “Given this” explicitly links the two.
- CCorrect
The companies regarded polyaspartate as the most suitable replacement, then withdrew after considering its estimated price. That supports the distinction between a material that doesn't work and one that works but is too expensive. C describes what did not cause the withdrawal, which fits the evidence even though our initial prediction describes what did.
- D
A high price doesn't establish that the raw materials are scarce. The author points to a lack of supporting infrastructure; common materials could still be costly to process. We aren't given this proposed scarcity explanation.
- E
The author doesn't report that consumers would distrust products containing polyaspartate. That invents an attitude toward the ingredient instead of using the stated production-cost problem.
More Author's Opinion questions
Learn the LSAT our way
Our platform drills Author's Opinion questions at your level and adjusts as you improve.