October 2010 LSAT Section 5 Question 17

Near many cities, contamination of lakes and rivers from pollutants in rainwater runoff exceeds that from industrial ...

#JW on October 5, 2019

B v D

How do you determine that B is in correct? How is this not a piece of evidence (B) and it is a premise (D)? I understand that these are synonyms but where is the difference?

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#JW on October 5, 2019

Additionally, is it relevant at all that the conclusion does not say rainwater and simply says water?

BenMingov on October 7, 2019

Hi Jwebb, thanks for the question!

B is saying that the statement is evidence that rainwater runoff is a more serious issue than pollution from industrial discharge.

There are two issues with this statement. Firstly, the stimulus only speaks about water pollution, and B make a blanket statement about rainwater runoff being a more serious issue in general. Secondly, we do not know that just because it contributes to more water pollution that it is a more serious problem. Perhaps a given amount of chemical waste from industrial discharge is more harmful than even 10x the amount of rainwater runoff.

D is accurate. It says that it is a premise for the conclusion. Which it is.

As for the issue of the conclusion saying water rather than rainwater, I see how this can often be an issue when they switch terms. But in this case, rainwater is water nonetheless.

Hope this helps!