LSAT 155 – Section 1 – Question 03

LSAT 155 - Section 1 - Question 03

November 2019

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Question
QuickView		 Type Tags Answer
Choices		 Curve Question
Difficulty		 Psg/Game/S
Difficulty		 Explanation
PT155 S1 Q03
+LR
+Exp
Resolve reconcile or explain +RRE
Critique or Debate +CritDeb
Causal Reasoning +CausR
A
3%
149
B
0%
147
C
93%
161
D
3%
147
E
1%
147
129
136
144
 +Easier 147.037 +SubsectionMedium

When frightened by hunters in a truck, healthy gazelles run away quickly, efficiently using the landscape for concealment. But when a healthy gazelle detects the approach of a predator such as a lion, it leaps high into the air as it runs away—a behavior known as “stotting.” As a defensive behavior, stotting appears paradoxical, because it draws predators’ attention and consumes energy that could be put into running faster.

"Surprising" Phenomenon
Why do gazelles leap into the air when they see predators?

Objective
The correct answer will be a hypothesis that explains the stotting behavior. Stotting must afford gazelles some advantage despite its apparent downsides, so this explanation must provide some rationale for the unusual behavior. This rationale will likely have to do with how gazelles are hunted by predators and how predators react to stotting.

A
Animals that are startled sometimes act in ways that appear irrational to human observers.
Stotting does appear irrational. But gazelles startled by hunters simply run away, so we need to know why they react differently with other predators.
B
Young gazelles and gazelles that are not very healthy often stot when they become frightened by humans or by loud machines.
We’re concerned with healthy gazelles. We need to explain why they stot when they’re startled by predators, but not by hunters.
C
To animals that typically prey on gazelles, stotting is a signal of strength and ability to escape.
Lions would prefer not to chase strong, agile gazelles given the risk of failure. Stotting signals a gazelle is strong and agile, hence why gazelles bother with the elaborate and energy-consuming display.
D
A healthy gazelle can usually detect the approach of a predator before the predator becomes aware of the presence of the gazelle.
If this were true, it would certainly make more sense for gazelles to simply run away before being noticed. We need to know why they bother with stotting at all.
E
While not able to run as quickly as gazelles, predators such as lions hunt effectively by hunting in groups and coordinating their attacks.
If lions can’t chase down gazelles, then why don’t gazelles just run away? This doesn’t explain why they bother stotting.

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LSAT PrepTest 155 Explanations

Section 1 - Logical Reasoning

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Section 3 - Reading Comprehension

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