LSAT 128 – Section 3 – Question 15

LSAT 128 - Section 3 - Question 15

December 2008

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Question
QuickView		 Type Tags Answer
Choices		 Curve Question
Difficulty		 Psg/Game/S
Difficulty		 Explanation
PT128 S3 Q15
+LR
Resolve reconcile or explain +RRE
Causal Reasoning +CausR
Math +Math
A
63%
168
B
13%
162
C
16%
163
D
6%
164
E
2%
166
147
160
172
 +Hardest 145.461 +SubsectionMedium

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The number of deer living in North America has increased dramatically since the 1960s even though hunters kill no fewer deer today. Moreover, the number of natural predators of deer, such as wolves, is on the rise, and suburbs increasingly encroach on deer habitats.

"Surprising" Phenomenon
Why has the number of deer in North America increased significantly since the 1960s, even though the total amount of deer killed by hunters has not increased, the number of natural predators of deer has increased, and suburbs are increasingly overlapping with deer habitats?

Objective
The correct answer should tell us something different between the 1960s and today that might lead to more deer today. The correct answer can’t just minimize the effect of natural predators or the encroaching suburbs, because that wouldn’t explain an increase in deer population.

A
Pesticides that adversely affected most wildlife living in North America have been banned since the 1970s.
Something has changed since the 1960s that’s beneficial for deer. Deer may have been harmed by pesticides in the 1960s. Today, there’s reason to think they’re not harmed by those pesticides. This is the only answer that tells us something might be better for deer today.
B
Recently, attempts have been made in various parts of North America to protect deer habitats from suburban development.
This might suggest that encroachment on deer habitats isn’t as significant as it theoretically could be. But that doesn’t explain an increase in deer population. We’d still expect a decrease because of the encroachment and the increase in predators.
C
The number of deer hunters in North America has decreased since the 1960s.
The stimulus already tells us the total number of deer killed by hunters is the same. So, the number of deer hunters doesn’t matter. Even if there are fewer deer hunters, that would just mean each deer hunter is killing more deer.
D
Much of the increase in the population of wolves is due to wolves born in captivity and released into the wild.
The origin of the increased wolf population doesn’t help explain an increase in the deer population. Even if you assume these formerly captive wolves aren’t as good hunters as wild wolves, we’d still expect an increase in wolves to contribute to a decrease in deer population.
E
The greater the number of deer, the more likely they are to be afflicted with problems such as famine and disease.
This tells us something negative about greater numbers of dear. This makes it harder to explain why the deer population has increased.

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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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