July 2020 LSAT Section 1 Question 23

On Earth, biological activity leads to a change in the ratio of isotope S-34 to isotope S-32. However, a newly discov...

JosephRocco on August 16, 2022

Question # 23 - Biological Activity and Life on Mars

I originally picked Answer Choice "D" for this which is incorrect. After further analysis, does Answer Choice "D" actually weaken? The conclusion of the stimulus says, "Therefore, it is unlikely that life occurred on Mars." Well based off of what Answer Choice "D" states, "If there are few samples that contain biological" then there is no way to know if life existed on Mars, correct? So logic actually weakens the conclusion, right? Could someone explain to me why "C" is correct? Is it because if the ratio was the same in the meteorite at the time it left Mars then life very well could have existed? Is this correct logic? Does Answer Choice "C" strengthen the conclusion or just keep it the same?

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Emil-Kunkin on August 16, 2022

Hi JosephRocco,

D does weaken the argument, because it undermines the idea that not having the proper ratio suggests that there is no life. It tells us that many earth minerals do not have the ratio that indicates life. If this is true, the lack of the ratio dies not necessarily imply the lack of life.

C is not really relevant to the argument.