LSAT 103 – Section 3 – Question 18

LSAT 103 - Section 3 - Question 18

September 1998

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Question
QuickView		 Type Tags Answer
Choices		 Curve Question
Difficulty		 Psg/Game/S
Difficulty		 Explanation
PT103 S3 Q18
+LR
Resolve reconcile or explain +RRE
A
77%
168
B
2%
163
C
4%
162
D
11%
163
E
6%
160
141
153
164
 +Harder 148.537 +SubsectionMedium

A stingray without parasites is healthier than it would be if it had parasites. Nevertheless, the lack of parasites in stingrays is an indicator that the ecosystem in which the stingrays live is under environmental stress such as pollution.

"Surprising" Phenomenon
Parasites in a stingray are not good for the stingray’s health, but the absence of parasites in a stingray is an indicator that the ecosystem the stingray lives in is under environmental stress.

Objective
The right answer will be a hypothesis that reconciles the seemingly contradictory ideas in the stimulus. It will explain how the presence of parasites in a stingray can be an indication of the stingray’s sub-optimal health while the absence of parasites in a stingray can indicate an ecosystem is of sub-optimal health.

A
During part of their life cycles, the parasites of stingrays require as hosts shrimp or oysters, which are environmentally vulnerable organisms.
This helps reconcile the discrepancy. The absence of parasites in a stingray may indicate that, at the necessary point in their life cycles, the parasites could not find a shrimp or oyster to host them, as these potential hosts were adversely affected by environmental stress.
B
A stingray is a free-ranging predator that feeds on smaller organisms but has few predators itself.
This does not offer information about parasites, which are a key feature of the discrepancy.
C
A parasite drains part of the vitality of its host by drawing nourishment from the host.
The stimulus already says that stingrays with parasites are less healthy than they would be without parasites. The discrepancy involves the absence of parasites in stingrays indicating an environmentally stressed ecosystem, which (C) does not discuss.
D
An ecosystem can be considered stressed if only a few species of very simple organisms can live there.
(D) discusses what could cause an ecosystem to be considered stressed. However, it does not provide new information that reconciles the discrepancy. The stimulus also specifically addresses ecosystems under environmental stress, rather than simply being considered stressed.
E
Since the life of parasites depends on that of their host, they need to live without killing their host or else to reproduce and infect other individuals before their own host dies.
This provides insight into the life of parasites, but not into the discrepancy discussed in the stimulus. (E) does not offer information that explains how parasites can be unhealthy for jellyfish but, when absent in jellyfish, indicate an environmentally stressed ecosystem.

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LSAT PrepTest 103 Explanations

Section 1 - Logical Reasoning

Section 2 - Logical Reasoning

Section 3 - Logical Reasoning

Section 4 - Reading Comprehension

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