Q10 - Researchers have found that most people's bodies

[Laura Damone]

Question Type:
Explain a Result (Fill in the Blank)

Stimulus Breakdown:
This is a unique flavor of Explain a Result question because we've got a blank to fill in! But our first task is the same as ever: locate the paradox to be explained. How come smokers who have the most common form of the enzyme that eliminates nicotine from the body tend to smoke more? Well, the explanation is started for us: The faster nicotine is eliminated from the body, the sooner one craves another smoke.

Answer Anticipation:
The thing we're trying to explain is a comparison: Folks with one type of enzyme smoke more than folks with other types. But, the explanation that's started for us doesn't talk about the enzymes. It only talks about the pace of nicotine elimination. That means we need our answer to connect the pace of nicotine elimination to the types of enzymes. If we knew, for example, that the most common form of the enzyme eliminates nicotine from the body faster, then we could infer that folks with that form crave another smoke more quickly than other folks, explaining why they smoke more.

Correct answer:
A

Answer choice analysis:
(A) Bingo! This does exactly what we predicted: It connects the dots between the pace of elimination of nicotine from the body and the most common form of the enzyme.

(B) While we are concerned about the most common form of the enzyme vs. other forms of the enzyme, we're not specifically concerned about the least common form of the enzyme. Nor are we concerned about nonsmokers, so this one fails on two counts.

(C) We're also not concerned about those who lack the enzyme entirely. Eliminate!

(D) This one is tempting because it deals with those who have the enzyme and the pace of elimination of nicotine. But, D connects the pace of elimination to the quantity of the enzyme, rather than the type. Eliminate!

(E) While nicotine elimination may not be the only function of the enzyme, it's definitely the only one that we're concerned with. Eliminate!

Takeaway/Pattern:
When the LSAT throws you a curve ball like a fill in the blank where you don't expect it, don't panic. Put the curve ball aside for a moment and tackle the standard stuff first. Explain a Result questions are always about explaining a paradox. Find that paradox! In this case, as in many cases throughout LSAT history, the paradox is comparative. Make sure you know exactly what's being compared, and eliminate answers, like D, that address a different comparison.

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