LSAT 146 – Section 1 – Question 10

LSAT 146 - Section 1 - Question 10

June 2016

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Question
QuickView		 Type Tags Answer
Choices		 Curve Question
Difficulty		 Psg/Game/S
Difficulty		 Explanation
PT146 S1 Q10
+LR
Weaken +Weak
Sampling +Smpl
A
5%
155
B
3%
156
C
87%
165
D
3%
156
E
2%
157
141
148
156
 +Medium 149.45 +SubsectionMedium

Anthropologist: In an experiment, two groups of undergraduates were taught how to create one of the types of stone tools that the Neanderthals made in prehistoric times. One group was taught using both demonstrations and elaborate verbal explanations, whereas the other group learned by silent example alone. The two groups showed a significant difference neither in the speed with which they acquired the toolmaking skills nor in the level of proficiency they reached. This shows that Neanderthals could just as well have created their sophisticated tools even if they had no language.

Summarize Argument
The anthropologist concludes that Neanderthals could’ve created tools without language. She bases this on a study showing that university students were as capable of making one type of prehistoric stone tool when they learned by silent example as when they learned by verbal instruction.

Notable Assumptions
The anthropologist assumes that the stone tools Neanderthals made were no more sophisticated than those that the undergraduates made. If the Neanderthals consistently made far more sophisticated tools, then no conclusion can be drawn from the study about whether or not language was necessary for Neanderthal tool-building.

A
Apart from the sophistication of their stone tools, there is a great deal of evidence suggesting that Neanderthals possessed some form of language.
We don’t care about evidence that tells us Neanderthals had language. We’re interested in whether their tools prove they must’ve had language.
B
The students who were taught with verbal explanations were allowed to discuss the toolmaking techniques among themselves, whereas the students who learned by silent example were not.
Both groups created the same tools. This doesn’t further differentiate them in any meaningful way.
C
The tools that the undergraduates were taught to make were much simpler and easier to make than most types of tools created by Neanderthals.
Sure, simple tools can be made without language. But Neanderthals also made many types of sophisticated tools. We don’t know if they needed language to make those.
D
The instructor who taught the group of students who learned by silent example alone was much less proficient at making the stone tools than was the instructor who taught the other group of students.
Like (B), both groups created the same tools. This doesn’t further differentiate them in any meaningful way.
E
The tools created by Neanderthals were much less sophisticated than the tools created by anatomically modern humans who almost certainly possessed language and lived at the same time as the Neanderthals.
We don’t care about other humanoids. We need to know whether we can draw conclusions about Neanderthals and language based on the tools they made.

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LSAT PrepTest 146 Explanations

Section 1 - Logical Reasoning

Section 2 - Logical Reasoning

Section 3 - Logical Reasoning

Section 4 - Reading Comprehension

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