LSAT 143 – Section 1 – Question 04

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Type Tags Answer
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Curve Question
Difficulty
Psg/Game/S
Difficulty
Explanation
PT143 S1 Q04
+LR
Method of reasoning or descriptive +Method
Causal Reasoning +CausR
Eliminating Options +ElimOpt
A
2%
157
B
2%
157
C
10%
159
D
5%
158
E
82%
165
137
147
157
+Medium 148.401 +SubsectionMedium

Scientist: In testing whether a baby’s babbling is a linguistic task or just random sounds, researchers videotaped the mouths of babies as they babbled. They discovered that babbling babies open the right sides of their mouths wider than the left. Past studies have established that during nonlinguistic vocalizations people generally open the left side of the mouth wider. So babbling turns out to be a linguistic task.

Summarize Argument
The author concludes that a baby’s babbling is a linguistic task. This is based on tests that show babbling babies open the right sides of their mouths wider than the left. Other studies show that when making nonlinguistic sounds, people generally open the left side of the mouth wider than the right.

Describe Method of Reasoning
The author uses the studies to eliminate the nonlinguistic interpretation of babbling. Since babies’ mouths don’t open the left side wider than the right, the author thinks this is inconsistent with the nonlinguistic interpretation. That’s how the author reaches the conclusion that babbling is linguistic.

A
It describes an argument for a given conclusion and presents a counterargument to suggest that its conclusion is incorrect.
The author doesn’t counter a different argument. We never got an argument that babbling is nonlinguistic. So the author never countered such an argument.
B
It questions the adequacy of a generally accepted principle by providing evidence to undermine that principle, and offers a different principle in its place.
There is no “generally accepted principle.” The fact babies babble isn’t a principle. Nor is the idea that babbling is nonlinguistic. So the author doesn’t undermine any principle in order to reach the conclusion that babbling is linguistic.
C
It raises a question, describes a potential experimental test, and argues that the test is necessary to answer the question.
The author doesn’t describe a potential experimental test; he describes an actual test that was done and its results. The author also does not argue that we need a new test.
D
It describes an explanation for some facts, counters assertions that the explanation is unlikely to be correct, and concludes that it is correct after all.
There are no assertions that an explanation is unlikely to be correct. Nobody argued against the idea that babbling is a linguistic task. So the author didn’t counter assertions that this explanation is incorrect.
E
It presents two possible interpretations of a phenomenon and provides evidence in support of one interpretation and against the other.
The two possible interpretations are linguistic task or random sounds. The author presents studies suggesting babbling isn’t just random sounds (nonlinguistic vocalizations). This evidence supports the interpretation that babbling is linguistic.

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