November 2019 LSAT Section 3 Question 22

Which one of the following, if true, lends the most support to a prediction of an eventual commercial application of ...

NK848 on May 10, 2020

Why B?

Could you explain why B provides support to a prediction of commercial application? I eliminated A, C, and D, but I could not see how B can provide support. In contrast, I thought that E suggests less competition and higher chance of commercial application.

Replies

Create a free account to read and take part in forum discussions.

Already have an account? log in

SamA on May 14, 2020

Hello @NK848,

I understand what you are saying about answer choice E. However, "commercial application" does not necessarily require that Belcher and Hu make a profit. In this case, "commercial application" simply means that peptides prove to be successful in creating nano-circuits. Regardless of who makes money, the usefulness of the research is what determines its commercial viability. This is why competition is not relevant here. Also, the high cost of peptide synthesis in answer choice E may actually weaken the possibility of commercial application.

As for B, let's consider the last paragraph. "Hu says that in order to use such a method to assemble a set of circuit-building tools, it would be necessary to identify many additional organic compounds that bind to circuit-component materials." We know that the researchers are continuing to experiment with more semiconductors and peptides. If, as answer choice B says, there are a wide variety of acceptable semiconductor substitutes, then Belcher and Hu will be more likely to find a combination that works well enough for commercial use.

NK848 on May 17, 2020

Thank you. Now this makes sense.