LSAT 103 – Section 1 – Question 17

LSAT 103 - Section 1 - Question 17

September 1998

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Question
QuickView		 Type Tags Answer
Choices		 Curve Question
Difficulty		 Psg/Game/S
Difficulty		 Explanation
PT103 S1 Q17
+LR
+Exp
Argument part +AP
Analogy +An
A
2%
154
B
82%
166
C
10%
159
D
2%
153
E
5%
156
142
151
159
 +Medium 147.884 +SubsectionMedium

Henry: Some scientists explain the dance of honeybees as the means by which honeybees communicate the location of whatever food source they have just visited to other members of the hive. But honeybees do not need so complicated a mechanism to communicate that information. Forager honeybees returning to their hive simply leave a scent trail from the food source they have just visited. There must therefore be some other explanation for the honeybees’ dance.

Winifred: Not necessarily. Most animals have several ways of accomplishing critical tasks. Bees of some species can navigate using either the position of the Sun or the memory of landmarks. Similarly, for honeybees, scent trails are a supplementary not an exclusive means of communicating.

Summarize Argument: Counter-Position
Winifred thinks that honeybees’ use of scent trails does not necessarily mean that the dance of honeybees serves a purpose other than communicating food locations. As support, Winifred explains that most creatures “have several ways of accomplishing critical tasks.” We also get a specific example to back up this claim: some bees can navigate using either the Sun or landmarks. Winifred further states that honeybees’ scent trails are not their main communication method. Winifred’s conclusion is thus supported by both a broad claim about animals and a specific one about honeybees.

Identify Argument Part
Winifred’s statement about how bees of some species navigate is a specific example used to support the claim that most animals can accomplish critical tasks in multiple ways.

A
It addresses an ambiguity in Henry’s use of the expression “communicate the location.”
here is no ambiguity to address in Henry’s use of the phrase “communicate the location”, nor does Winifred claim there is. This just isn’t something the argument does.
B
It provides evidence in support of a general claim.
This matches the use of the claim about certain bees’ navigation methods. The claim is used in the argument as an example of animals having “several ways to accomplish critical tasks.” The example provides support by showing that the general claim is backed up in reality.
C
It calls into question the accuracy of key evidence cited by Henry.
Winifred never contests the accuracy of Henry’s evidence, meaning no part of Winifred’s argument plays this role.
D
It points out that Henry’s conclusion directly contradicts one of his premises.
This is not something that any part of Winifred’s argument does.
E
It proposes an alternative explanation for the honeybees’ dance.
Winifred never actually states what might be the purpose of the honeybees’ dance (and nor does Henry). The argument is just about whether it’s possible the dance is used to communicate food locations.

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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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