LSAT 122 – Section 2 – Question 06

LSAT 122 - Section 2 - Question 06

June 2006

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Question
QuickView		 Type Tags Answer
Choices		 Curve Question
Difficulty		 Psg/Game/S
Difficulty		 Explanation
PT122 S2 Q06
+LR
Weaken +Weak
Causal Reasoning +CausR
A
2%
153
B
6%
157
C
89%
164
D
1%
154
E
2%
157
130
140
151
 +Easier 146.896 +SubsectionMedium

The cattle egret is a bird that lives around herds of cattle. The only available explanation of the fact that the cattle egret follows cattle herds is that the egrets consume the insects stirred up from the grasses as the cattle herds graze.

Summarize Argument: Phenomenon-Hypothesis
The author hypothesizes that cattle egrets follows herds of cattle because the cattle herds’ grazing process offers the egrets with convenient access to insects. This is based on the phenomenon that cattle egrets live around herds of cattle.

Notable Assumptions
The author assumes there is no other explanation for why cattle egrets live around herds of cattle.

A
Birds other than cattle egrets have been observed consuming insects stirred up by the movement of cattle.
This strengthens the argument. It shows that a number of bird species benefit in the same way from herds of cattle, strengthening the argument that this benefit is why cattle egrets live around herds of cattle.
B
Cattle egrets are known to follow other slow-moving animals, such as rhinoceroses and buffalo.
This does not affect the argument. Cattle egrets following other slow-moving animals does not make the author’s explanation for why they follow herds of cattle any less convincing. For all we know, buffalo and rhinoceroses also stir up insects that the birds consume.
C
The presence of cattle dissuades many would-be predators of the cattle egret.
This weakens the argument by offering an alternative explanation for the phenomenon. If living near cattle provides protection from potential predators, the egrets gain a significant safety benefit from their proximity to the herds.
D
Cattle egrets are not generally known to live outside the range of large, slow-moving animals.
This does not affect the argument. Cattle egrets’ propensity for living near slow-moving animals does nothing to weaken the author’s explanation for why they live around herds of cattle.
E
Forests are generally inhospitable to cattle egrets because of a lack of insects of the kind egrets can consume.
This does not affect the argument. The fact that forests are inhospitable to cattle egrets does not challenge the author’s explanation for why these birds live around herds of cattle.

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LSAT PrepTest 122 Explanations

Section 1 - Logical Reasoning

Section 2 - Logical Reasoning

Section 3 - Reading Comprehension

Section 4 - Logical Reasoning

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