LSAT 128 – Section 3 – Question 10

LSAT 128 - Section 3 - Question 10

December 2008

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Question
QuickView		 Type Tags Answer
Choices		 Curve Question
Difficulty		 Psg/Game/S
Difficulty		 Explanation
PT128 S3 Q10
+LR
Argument part +AP
Conditional Reasoning +CondR
Rule-Application +RuleApp
A
1%
155
B
85%
167
C
9%
161
D
5%
160
E
0%
152
141
150
159
 +Medium 145.461 +SubsectionMedium

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Biologists often announce that a certain kind of animal has been found capable of using tools; this usually refers to something like using a stick to hunt for ants in a log, or a stone to crack nuts. But such announcements are completely unsurprising, since all animals use tools. Birds build nests, fish hide in the mud to escape predators, and squirrels use buildings as shortcuts between trees. If an animal executes its purpose by means of an external physical object, then that object can reasonably be regarded as a tool.

Summarize Argument: Counter-Position
It’s not surprising to say that animals can use tools because all animals use them. If an animal uses something outside its body to help it do something, the animal is using a tool. For example, birds use twigs as tools to build nests, fish use mud as a tool to hide from predators, and squirrels use buildings as tools to move quickly between trees.

Identify Argument Part
The stimulus text refers to the argument's main conclusion: It’s not surprising to say that animals can use tools.

A
It provides evidence that the animals’ activities given as examples are purposeful.
The stimulus text is the argument’s main conclusion. It does not provide evidence for any other statement in the argument. Additionally, the stimulus does not offer evidence that the animals’ activities given as examples are purposeful, so no statement fulfills that role.
B
It is the conclusion of the argument.
This describes the role of the stimulus text in the overall argument. The author provides context about an announcement that biologists frequently make, concludes that the announcement is unsurprising, and then spends the rest of the stimulus explaining why it is unsurprising.
C
It is an assumption used by the argument to justify acceptance of a broader conception of what a tool is than that usually accepted by the biologists.
The stimulus text is the argument’s main conclusion. It is not an assumption—an unstated premise—of the argument. As the main conclusion, all the other statements in the stimulus support it; it doesn’t support or justify any other statement in the stimulus.
D
It calls into question the basis of the biologists’ conception of a tool.
The stimulus text is the argument’s main conclusion, stating that the biologists’ announcements are “unsurprising.” It does not question the biologists’ definition of a tool; it simply notes that many animals use tools.
E
It addresses a weakness in the biologists’ announcements that stems from their ambiguous use of the word “external.”
The stimulus text is the argument’s main conclusion, which simply states that the biologists’ announcements are “unsurprising.” The stimulus does not argue that the announcements are weak or that the biologists use “external” ambiguously.

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LSAT PrepTest 128 Explanations

Section 1 - Reading Comprehension

Section 2 - Logical Reasoning

Section 3 - Logical Reasoning

Section 4 - Reading Comprehension

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