LSAT 119 – Section 3 – Question 01

LSAT 119 - Section 3 - Question 01

June 2005

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Question
QuickView		 Type Tags Answer
Choices		 Curve Question
Difficulty		 Psg/Game/S
Difficulty		 Explanation
PT119 S3 Q01
+LR
Resolve reconcile or explain +RRE
A
99%
164
B
0%
151
C
0%
141
D
1%
156
E
0%
163
120
120
128
 +Easiest 145.195 +SubsectionEasier

Sambar deer are physically incapable of digesting meat. Yet sambar deer have been reported feeding on box turtles after killing them.

"Surprising" Phenomenon
Why do sambar deer feed on box turtles if sambar deer are incapable of digesting meat?

Objective
Any hypothesis that can resolve this will need to explain either that there is some reason for sambar deer to eat turtle meat without digesting it, or else that when the deer feed on box turtles, they don’t consume their meat.

A
Sambar deer eat only the bony shells of box turtles.
This explains that when sambar deer feed on box turtles, they don’t consume their meat. This reconciles the deers’ feeding habits with their inability to digest meat.
B
Sambar deer often kill box turtles by accident.
It doesn’t matter how sambar deer kill box turtles. We’re concerned about why sambar deer eat the turtles after killing them.
C
Sambar deer kill box turtles only occasionally.
It doesn’t matter how frequently sambar deer kill box turtles. We’re focused on why the deer eat box turtles after killing them.
D
Box turtles sometimes compete with sambar deer for food.
This may explain why sambar deer kill box turtles, but it doesn’t explain why sambar deer eat the turtles after killing them.
E
Box turtles are much slower and clumsier than are sambar deer.
This may explain why sambar deer can kill box turtles, but it doesn’t explain why sambar deer eat box turtles.

The question stem reads: Which one of the following, if true, best resolves the discrepancy above? This is a Resolve Reconcile Explain question.

In the Core Curriculum, we discussed how our job is to develop a hypothesis or explanation for the seemingly contradictory phenomena the stimulus provides. The stimulus tells us that "Sambar deer are physically incapable of digesting meat." Ok, the deer cannot consume and process meat for energy. But the stimulus also tells us that Sambar deer have been observed killing and feeding on box turtles. That’s puzzling. If the deer can’t eat meat, why are they killing and eating the box turtles? Our job is to explain that exact question.

Before we move into the answer choices, let's do some prephasing. We know that Sambar deer are incapable of digesting meat, so it would be bizarre if we noticed the deer consuming turtle meat. However, the stimulus says that the deer have been observed eating turtles. Is there more to a turtle than its meat? Of course there is! Perhaps the deer are eating the turtles' bones, skin, or eyes (are eyes meat? I digress). That would help explain the phenomena. The deer can’t digest meat, but they are not hunting and eating the turtles' meat; they are eating something else. Now that we have a solid prephase, we can join the Sambar deer and go hunting.

Correct Answer Choice (A) is exactly what we prephrased. (A) explains that the deer eat only the bony shell of the turtles. The deer are not killing and eating the turtles for meat (which the deer cannot digest); they are killing and eating the turtles for their shells.

Answer Choice (B) almost looks good but only provides a partial explanation. If you picked (B), you likely realized that (B) would explain why the deer kill the turtles when they cannot eat them. The deer aren't hunting the turtles. The deer are killing turtles by accident (turtle-slaughter?) However, (B) fails to explain why the deer go on to eat their unfortunate victims. Imagine your friend found you feeding on the carcass of a squirrel you had recently driven over and asked, "why are you doing that?" Responding through your blood-soaked teeth with, "I did it by accident," would leave your friend mildly horrified and still confused. For that reason, (B) is out.

Answer Choice (C) fails to explain both the eating and the killing. The fact that the deer kill and eat the turtles only on occasion does nothing to explain why they kill and eat the turtles when they cannot digest meat.

Answer Choice (D) is similar to (B) in providing only a partial explanation. (D) says that the turtles compete with the deer for food. That might explain why the deer have the incentive to kill the turtles. If they kill the turtles, the deer won't have to compete with them for food. However, that does not explain why they go on to eat the turtles. You could argue that the eating of the turtles is to strike fear into the other turtle's hearts and warn them away from the deer's territory. But at that point, though, we are making too many assumptions to make (D) work. So (D) is out.

Answer Choice (E) would explain how the deer are able to kill the turtles by saying that the deer are faster and more agile. However, our job isn’t to explain how the deer are killing the turtles, but why the deer are killing the turtles. For that reason, (E) is out.

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LSAT PrepTest 119 Explanations

Section 1 - Reading Comprehension

Section 2 - Logical Reasoning

Section 3 - Logical Reasoning

Section 4 - Logical Reasoning

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