LSAT 142 – Section 2 – Question 12

LSAT 142 - Section 2 - Question 12

December 2014

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Question
QuickView		 Type Tags Answer
Choices		 Curve Question
Difficulty		 Psg/Game/S
Difficulty		 Explanation
PT142 S2 Q12
+LR
+Exp
Resolve reconcile or explain +RRE
A
90%
164
B
2%
155
C
1%
155
D
7%
158
E
0%
140
127
138
150
 +Easier 146.338 +SubsectionMedium

Shark teeth are among the most common vertebrate fossils; yet fossilized shark skeletons are much less common—indeed, comparatively rare among fossilized vertebrate skeletons.

"Surprising" Phenomenon

Why are fossils of sharks’ teeth so common while fossils of their skeletons are rare?

Objective

The right answer will be a hypothesis that explains a key difference between the teeth and skeletons of ancient sharks. That difference must result in fossilized teeth being more likely to be found, either because there are actually a higher number of fossilized teeth in the world or else because something makes it easier to discover those tooth fossils.

A
Unlike the bony skeletons of other vertebrates, shark skeletons are composed of cartilage, and teeth and bone are much more likely to fossilize than cartilage is.

This explains a key difference between the teeth and skeletons of sharks. Shark skeletons, which are composed of cartilage, are much less likely to fossilize than shark teeth. Because of this, fossilized shark teeth are more likely to be found than fossilized shark skeletons.

B
The rare fossilized skeletons of sharks that are found are often found in areas other than those in which fossils of shark teeth are plentiful.

This doesn’t explain the difference between shark teeth and shark skeletons or account for why fossilized shark skeletons are so rare. Fossilized shark skeletons and teeth may end up in different areas, but we still don’t know why fossilized shark teeth are more plentiful.

C
Fossils of sharks’ teeth are quite difficult to distinguish from fossils of other kinds of teeth.

The stimulus tells us that shark teeth fossils are common. We can’t assume that those fossils are misidentified just because it’s difficult to distinguish them from fossils of other teeth. Also, we still have no information about why fossilized shark skeletons are so rare.

D
Some species of sharks alive today grow and lose many sets of teeth during their lifetimes.

We can’t assume that something that applies to some shark species alive today also applies to those species that are now fossilized. Also, even if ancient sharks did lose lots of teeth, we still have no explanation for why fossilized shark skeletons are so much more rare.

E
The physical and chemical processes involved in the fossilization of sharks’ teeth are as common as those involved in the fossilization of shark skeletons.

If the fossilization processes of shark teeth and skeletons are equally common, it seems that the fossils should be equally common as well. We need a key difference between the two, not a similarity, in order to explain why tooth fossils are more common than skeleton fossils.

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LSAT PrepTest 142 Explanations

Section 1 - Logical Reasoning

Section 2 - Logical Reasoning

Section 3 - Reading Comprehension

Section 4 - Logical Reasoning

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