LSAT 136 – Section 4 – Question 26

LSAT 136 - Section 4 - Question 26

June 2012

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Question
QuickView		 Type Tags Answer
Choices		 Curve Question
Difficulty		 Psg/Game/S
Difficulty		 Explanation
PT136 S4 Q26
+LR
Main conclusion or main point +MC
A
3%
157
B
80%
166
C
3%
157
D
4%
156
E
9%
158
147
154
161
 +Harder 146.121 +SubsectionMedium

Anthropologist: Many people think that if human language evolved, then something like it must be present in those species most closely related to humans, such as chimpanzees. They reason that since new traits evolve gradually, something like human language, albeit cruder, must exist in some species from which humans evolved. This general line of argument may be reasonable, but it simply does not follow that chimpanzees have anything like human language, because humans did not evolve from chimpanzees. While chimpanzees are indeed closely related to humans, this is because both evolved from a common ancestor. The evolution of human language might easily have begun after the extinction of that common ancestor.

Summarize Argument: Counter-Position
Chimpanzees do not necessarily have human-like language because, contrary to popular belief, humans did not evolve directly from chimpanzees. Instead, both species evolved from a common ancestor. As a result, the development of language in humans could have occurred after the extinction of this common ancestor, which means chimpanzees would not have developed the same language as humans.

Identify Conclusion
Chimpanzees may not have a human-like language.

A
Humans did not evolve from chimpanzees, but rather from some extinct species.
This statement is a premise that counters the misconception that humans evolved from chimpanzees. It supports the author’s argument that because humans and chimpanzees did not evolve directly from one another, chimpanzees do not necessarily have human-like language.
B
The assumption that something like human language must exist in some species from which humans evolved has no clearcut linguistic implications for chimpanzees.
This correctly states the conclusion: people assume that species from which humans evolved have human-like language, but this assumption doesn’t apply to chimpanzees since humans didn’t evolve from them. Thus, this assumption doesn’t tell us anything about chimpanzees’ language.
C
The communicative systems of chimpanzees are cruder than human language.
The stimulus does not make this claim. The anthropologist argues that chimpanzees do not necessarily have human-like language but doesn’t describe their language or compare it to human language. Since this claim is not made, it cannot be the main conclusion.
D
Human language is a by-product of human intelligence, which chimpanzees lack.
The stimulus doesn’t make this claim. The anthropologist argues that chimpanzees don’t necessarily have human-like language because humans didn’t evolve from chimpanzees, not because chimpanzees lack human intelligence. As this claim isn’t made, it can’t be the main conclusion.
E
The evolution of human language began after the disappearance of an extinct species from which both humans and chimpanzees evolved.
The stimulus does not make this claim. The anthropologist suggests that human language might have developed after the extinction of a common ancestor but does not assert this as a certainty. Additionally, this idea is part of the argument’s premise, not its main conclusion.

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LSAT PrepTest 136 Explanations

Section 1 - Reading Comprehension

Section 2 - Logical Reasoning

Section 3 - Reading Comprehension

Section 4 - Logical Reasoning

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