#11 - For many centuries it was believed that only classical

[Administrator]

Complete Question Explanation

Must Be True. The correct answer choice is (B)

This stimulus consists of several observations and no conclusion, so a Must Be True question is likely to
follow. A few facts are introduced:

• 1. Scientists once thought classical Euclidean geometry was essential to mathematically
  representing the universe.
  2. Scientists came to feel non-Euclidean geometries were more useful in developing certain areas
  of scientific theory.
  3. One most widely accepted theory is based on non-Euclidean geometry.

The suggestion is that most scientists believe that Euclidean geometry may be inessential to the
formation of a correct mathematical representation of the universe, because other geometries might
provide better bases for certain theories. If a non-Euclidean geometry is sufficient, then Euclidean
geometry is not necessary.

Answer choice (A): There is no suggestion about scientists’ beliefs concerning the progression of
science relative to that of math.

Answer choice (B): This is the correct answer choice. The author suggests that most scientists do
not believe that Euclidean geometry is essential to creating a correct mathematical representation of the
universe.

Answer choice (C): The stimulus concerns accurate, useful, theories, and never discusses completeness.
This choice is unsupported by the stimulus, and therefore incorrect.

Answer choice (D): This choice discusses “uniquely correct” methods, which is not a concept presented
in the stimulus. Furthermore, the stimulus never argues that all accurate scientific theories require
mathematical bases, just that certain scientific theories find some mathematical bases useful.

Answer choice (E): The stimulus does not establish that Euclidean geometry was the only
mathematically correct means of representing the universe. The inference that scientists currently prefer
useful theories to correct theories is thus unsupported.

[pwfquestions]

This problem seems like surprise content not discussed in the book. It seems to use conditional reasoning but I don't understand how because there does not seem to be conditional indicators.

Can you please explain how you arrived at this solution?

Thanks

[Stephanie Oswalt]

This problem seems like surprise content not discussed in the book. It seems to use conditional reasoning but I don't understand how because there does not seem to be conditional indicators.

Can you please explain how you arrived at this solution?

Thanks

Hi Pwf!

Thanks for the post! As a heads up (in case you're wondering why they moved), I moved this post and your other two recent posts to the threads discussing those particular LSAT questions: viewforum.php?f=566/ . Our forum does have a spot designated for Workbook-specific questions, but it also has spots for each LSAT PrepTest (it says in the Workbook which PT the questions are derived from).

I'll also let an instructor know to respond to your questions! Thanks!

Thanks!

[Rachael Wilkenfeld]

Hi pwf,

While conditional indicators are not required to have a conditional relationship, this stimulus actually does have some indicators present. For example, the first line here uses the term "only" in relation to classical Euclidean geometry.

However, in this situation, it's asking you to understand the concept of a conditional rule more than it's asking for specific understanding of the diagramming. It's not that you need to link a chain of terms here. It's that you need to understand the idea of requirement. The first sentence tells us that scientists used to think that Euclidean geometry was required for mathematically representing the universe. The rest of the stimulus tells us that it is not actually a requirement. The second half of the stimulus destroys the conditionality suggested in the first. That's essentially what answer choice (B) tells us--classical Euclidean geometry is not actually required.

Hope that helps!