- PowerScore Staff
- Posts: 868
- Joined: Oct 19, 2022
- Tue Jan 07, 2025 5:16 pm
#111350
Hi Hyunuk,
Whenever someone has a question about a particular word used on the LSAT, I like to start with the dictionary definition of the word because sometimes people are thinking of the wrong definition or the wrong word.
In this case, the word "strenuous" doesn't actually appear in the stimulus or the answers, but I do think that it is a reasonable shorthand description for "physical work of a type known to place heavy stresses on the lower back," which is described in the stimulus.
"Strenuous" has several definitions, but the ones most relevant to the question are "vigorously active" and "calling for energy or stamina." In other words, "strenuous work" would describe work that requires a lot of physical effort.
Work that requires a lot of physical effort would be a form of exercise. You may be thinking of the word "exercise" in a very specific way, such as going to a gym, playing sports, running, swimming, etc.. However, "exercise" in the broad/general sense means "anything involving physical activity." In other words, anything other than sitting or lying down could be considered exercise, including simply walking. And this is the way that it is being used in Answer E.
I'm not sure what your experiences working at a retail store were, but if that job did include a lot of moving around, then it would qualify as the type of exercise Answer E is describing (as opposed to a desk job, which does not involve moving around a lot). Perhaps you are confusing strenuous in a physical sense with the idea of a job that is mentally stressful but not physically strenuous?
Or perhaps your real life experience was that the job was very physically active, but actually caused-lower back pain injuries rather than prevent them? Even if that were true (and it wouldn't surprise me if it were), that has no bearing on Answer E because we accept the answers as true for the purposes of answering the question even if they aren't true in the "real world."
Either way, Answer E's description of physical exercise is broader than the "physical work of a type known to place heavy stresses on the lower back" described in the stimulus, so there should be no question that this type of work would fit within the broad definition of physical exercise in the answer. For example, placing heavy stresses on the lower back presumably refers to lifting heavy objects, and lifting heavy objects is definitely a form of exercise, whether it is done for work or at the gym.
Whenever someone has a question about a particular word used on the LSAT, I like to start with the dictionary definition of the word because sometimes people are thinking of the wrong definition or the wrong word.
In this case, the word "strenuous" doesn't actually appear in the stimulus or the answers, but I do think that it is a reasonable shorthand description for "physical work of a type known to place heavy stresses on the lower back," which is described in the stimulus.
"Strenuous" has several definitions, but the ones most relevant to the question are "vigorously active" and "calling for energy or stamina." In other words, "strenuous work" would describe work that requires a lot of physical effort.
Work that requires a lot of physical effort would be a form of exercise. You may be thinking of the word "exercise" in a very specific way, such as going to a gym, playing sports, running, swimming, etc.. However, "exercise" in the broad/general sense means "anything involving physical activity." In other words, anything other than sitting or lying down could be considered exercise, including simply walking. And this is the way that it is being used in Answer E.
I'm not sure what your experiences working at a retail store were, but if that job did include a lot of moving around, then it would qualify as the type of exercise Answer E is describing (as opposed to a desk job, which does not involve moving around a lot). Perhaps you are confusing strenuous in a physical sense with the idea of a job that is mentally stressful but not physically strenuous?
Or perhaps your real life experience was that the job was very physically active, but actually caused-lower back pain injuries rather than prevent them? Even if that were true (and it wouldn't surprise me if it were), that has no bearing on Answer E because we accept the answers as true for the purposes of answering the question even if they aren't true in the "real world."
Either way, Answer E's description of physical exercise is broader than the "physical work of a type known to place heavy stresses on the lower back" described in the stimulus, so there should be no question that this type of work would fit within the broad definition of physical exercise in the answer. For example, placing heavy stresses on the lower back presumably refers to lifting heavy objects, and lifting heavy objects is definitely a form of exercise, whether it is done for work or at the gym.