September 2017 LSAT Section 4 Question 24

Nuts are high in calories. All else being equal, the more calories one consumes, the more likely one is to become ove...

Allison on December 25, 2020

"All else being equal"

This phrase in the stimulus seems conflicting with the correct answer choice. My immediate thoughts were, well maybe those that eat nuts eat fewer calories overall but as I reflected on that phrase, I thought maybe it was eliminating the possibility that they ate a different number of calories. I was wondering if I could get clarity on what that phrase was referring to! :) Thanks so much ! Ally

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Shunhe on December 28, 2020

Hi @allisonfarley,

Thanks for the question! “All else being equal” here is just referring to other aspects of someone’s life. So all else being equal, the more calories you consume, the more likely you are to be overweight. So that means that, say, the amount of cigarettes you smoke has to stay the same, or the amount you exercise. It’s entirely possible that you could eat more calories, but also exercise way more, and so actually be less likely to be overweight. So we have to hold all of those other factors constant.

Hope this helps! Feel free to ask any other questions that you might have.