LSAT 139 – Section 4 – Question 23

LSAT 139 - Section 4 - Question 23

June 2013

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Target time: 1:33

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Question
QuickView		 Type Tags Answer
Choices		 Curve Question
Difficulty		 Psg/Game/S
Difficulty		 Explanation
PT139 S4 Q23
+LR
Strengthen +Streng
Causal Reasoning +CausR
Link Assumption +LinkA
A
3%
157
B
14%
160
C
2%
157
D
12%
160
E
69%
167
151
158
166
 +Harder 148.326 +SubsectionMedium

Video of JY doing this

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Botanist: In an experiment, scientists raised domesticated radishes in a field with wild radishes, which are considered weeds. Within several generations, the wild radishes began to show the same flower color as the domesticated ones. This suggests that resistance to pesticides, which is often a genetically engineered trait, would also be passed from domesticated crop plants to their relatives that are considered weeds.

Summarize Argument
The author concludes that the trait of resistance to pesticides would be passed from domesticated crop plants to their weed relatives. This is based on an experiment in which domesticated radishes were able to pass on the trait of flower color to their weed relatives. In addition, the trait of pesticide resistance is often a genetically engineered trait.

Notable Assumptions
The author assumes that pesticide resistance would have the same ability to be transferred to relatives as does the trait of flower color. This overlooks the possibility that something about pesticide resistance — for example, the fact that it’s often genetically engineered into the plant — might prevent it from being passable to weeds. The author also assumes that observations concerning radishes are applicants to other crop plants.

A
It is much easier in principle for genetic traits to be passed from wild plants to their domesticated relatives than it is for such traits to be passed from the domesticated plant to the wild relative.
This compares ability to transfer traits from wild to domesticated with ability to transfer from domesticated to wild. But the argument doesn’t concern transferring from wild to domesticated.
B
When the ratio of domesticated radishes to wild radishes in the field increased, the speed with which the flower color passed to the wild radishes also increased.
This suggests we can speed up the rate of transferring flower color by including a greater proportion of domesticated plants. But this doesn’t relate to whether a different trait — pesticide resistance — can be transferred.
C
Radishes are not representative of crop plants in general with respect to the ease with which various traits are passed among members of closely related species.
This undermines the argument by suggesting the radishes used in the experiment might not support a conclusion about trait transfer in other kinds of plants.
D
The flower color of the domesticated radishes had not been introduced into them via genetic engineering.
If anything, this undermines the argument by pointing out a difference between the trait of flower color and the trait of pesticide resistance. This suggests the transferrability of flower color might not apply to pesticide resistance.
E
It is more difficult for flower color to be transferred between domesticated and wild radishes than it is for almost any other trait to be passed between any two similarly related plant species.
If the transfer of flower color observed in the experiment is more difficult than almost any other kind of transfer of trait between any related plant species, that suggests transfer of pesticide resistance is likely to be easier, which supports the claim that it will occur.

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LSAT PrepTest 139 Explanations

Section 1 - Logical Reasoning

Section 2 - Reading Comprehension

Section 3 - Reading Comprehension

Section 4 - Logical Reasoning

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