LSAT 150 – Section 3 – Question 02

LSAT 150 - Section 3 - Question 02

June 2018

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Question
QuickView		 Type Tags Answer
Choices		 Curve Question
Difficulty		 Psg/Game/S
Difficulty		 Explanation
PT150 S3 Q02
+LR
Resolve reconcile or explain +RRE
Causal Reasoning +CausR
A
1%
148
B
0%
148
C
1%
151
D
98%
162
E
1%
147
128
134
141
 +Easiest 148.057 +SubsectionMedium

The Common Loon is a migratory bird that winters in warmer regions and returns to its breeding lakes in the spring. Typically, only one pair of loons occupies a single lake. Breeding pairs in search of breeding territory either occupy a vacant lake or take over an already occupied one. Surprisingly, almost half the time, returning loons choose to intrude on a territory already occupied by another pair of loons and attempt to oust its residents. This happens even when there are vacant lakes nearby that are perfectly suitable breeding territories.

"Surprising" Phenomenon
Why do loons often attempt to take over an occupied lake when they could just settle in an unoccupied lake instead?

Objective
The right answer will describe either a benefit of settling in an occupied lake, despite the effort the returning loons must expend to oust another loon couple, or a drawback of settling in an unoccupied lake.

A
Most of the nearby vacant lakes have served as successful loon breeding territory in the past.
This is the opposite of what we need. If most of the nearby vacant lakes are already proven to be suitable breading territories, it would make sense for the loons to settle in those lakes rather than fighting over the occupied ones!
B
Contests for occupied breeding territory may be initiated either by male loons or by female loons.
This doesn’t matter. We want to know why these contests are taking place at all, not who starts them—why wouldn’t the loons just settle in a territory they wouldn’t have to compete over?
C
Loons that intrude on an occupied breeding territory are successful in ousting its residents about half the time.
This doesn’t help. It doesn’t matter how often the loons are successful in their attempted takeovers. We just want to know why they’re trying to take the occupied lakes in the first place.
D
Loons frequently determine that a lake is a suitable breeding territory by observing the presence of a breeding pair there.
This is the explanation we need! When loons see another breeding pair in a lake, they take that pair’s presence as evidence that the lake is a good place for breeding. Instead of taking their chances with an untested lake, they try to get the lake someone’s already vetted!
E
Lakes that are perfectly suitable for loon breeding have fish for food, a site for a nest, and a sheltered area to rear chicks.
This answer choice would be helpful if it told us that the unoccupied lakes lack some of these factors that make lakes suitable for breeding, but as it stands, “E” doesn’t give us any information that would help explain why loons don’t always settle in unoccupied lakes.

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LSAT PrepTest 150 Explanations

Section 1 - Reading Comprehension

Section 2 - Logical Reasoning

Section 3 - Logical Reasoning

Section 4 - Reading Comprehension

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