July 2020 LSAT Section 1 Question 10

Dentist: Five recently conducted studies all show that the proportion of children with decayed, missing, or filled t...

Sallyanne-Tejan on July 18, 2022

Wrong Answer Question

I understand why answer choice E is right, but do not understand why B or C would be wrong. These both seem to strengthen the argument just as much by eliminating alternate causes for the phenomenon.

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Emil-Kunkin on July 19, 2022

Hi Sallyanne,

B does not weaken the conclusion that fluoridation of water does not help tooth decay. If American doctors apply directly to the teeth, that should mean that there would be even fewer cavities than there are in the EU. B makes the difference between Europe and the US more stark, but does not actually eliminate the alternative cause- it only exacerbates the described situation. More importantly, B does not tell us if this practice is common in Europe.

I think the main problem with C is how vague it is. Just because it is taught in both, we do not know how it is taught, or how much time is spent on it. It could strengthen by eliminating an alternative cause is students are taught the same things and the lessons are given equal prominence, but those are two big ifs.