PTF97.S3.Q16 - Zebra mussels, a nuisance

jimmy.mcgill

This is maybe the single stupidest question I have ever seen since I started studying for the LSAT. I spent like 3 minutes on it, but I did get it correct, fortunately. To share some advice, I always like to remember that I heard somewhere that top scorers get two chances to get the question right; the first time by actually identifying the correct answer and the second by understanding why the other four answers are incorrect. I don't think any question better encapsulates this idea than this one. A and B deal with clams, and not a single time in the stimulus are clams mentioned so I eliminated those. We aren't given any information about the clearing of intake pipes, so I also eliminated C. For D, we aren't told anything about the algae besides the fact that the mussels eat them, so I didn't feel it was very supported and so I eliminated it. For E, while I didn't think it was totally, 100% supported by the stimulus, it was the only answer that dealt with something explicitly engaged with in the stimulus, the removal of hazardous waste. While I don't understand how we can make the assumption that the waste remains in the mussels, and they can then be classified as hazardous waste, I thought it related more closely to the stimulus than any other answer choice. Overall, to be a top scorer, unfortunately, it is not enough to simply know the correct answer, you must be able to identify incorrect answers as well. More importantly, it is also very important to understand that LSAT writers are the biggest dickheads on the planet, and we cannot let them win.