LSAT 148 – Section 1 – Question 08

LSAT 148 - Section 1 - Question 08

December 2016

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Question
QuickView		 Type Tags Answer
Choices		 Curve Question
Difficulty		 Psg/Game/S
Difficulty		 Explanation
PT148 S1 Q08
+LR
Resolve reconcile or explain +RRE
Causal Reasoning +CausR
Net Effect +NetEff
A
1%
152
B
2%
153
C
88%
163
D
3%
154
E
6%
156
138
145
153
 +Medium 142.771 +SubsectionEasier

For a species of large abalone shellfish to develop from a species of smaller ones, they must spend less energy on finding food and avoiding predators, and more on competition in mating. So it is surprising that the fossil record shows that a species of large abalones developed from a smaller one only after otters, which prey on abalones, began to dominate the waters in which the abalones lived.

"Surprising" Phenomenon
A larger species of abalones developed from a smaller species only after an abalone predator (otters) began to dominate the abalones’ habitat, despite the fact that the necessary conditions for such a development to occur involve abalones spending less energy on avoiding predators (and finding food).

Objective
The right answer will describe some element of the otters’ domination of the waters that allowed abalones to save energy for competition in mating. This element must either compensate for the extra energy abalones presumably had to spend avoiding otters, or explain why the abalones did not have to spend energy in that way. In either case, the answer must show how the otters’ domination allowed the abalones to save more energy than they had previously.

A
Otters and abalones also compete for the same types of food and so are drawn to the same waters.
This does the opposite of what we need. If the otters’ domination of the water meant that abalones faced increased competition for food, we would expect them to have less energy for competition in mating. We need something that would mean they conserved more energy, not less.
B
The fossils that were studied showed the development of only one of the two species of large abalones known to exist.
This isn’t helpful. It doesn’t matter which species developed—all that matters to us is how.
C
Otters also prey on the abalones’ competitors for food and so indirectly make it easier for abalones to get food.
This explains how otter domination helped abalones conserve energy for competition in mating. The otters ate the abalones’ food competitors, so the abalones were able to use some of the energy that would have otherwise gone to finding food to engage in mating competition instead.
D
Small abalone species tend to reproduce more rapidly than larger abalone species.
This doesn’t help us. We’re interested in the conditions that allowed a large abalone species to develop from a small one, not the reproductive tendencies within those separate species.
E
Otters have a preference for large abalones over small ones and so prefer waters in which large abalones are found.
Not only is this unrelated to the development of the larger abalone species, but it also doesn’t make sense with what we know about this habitat. The otters began to dominate when the abalones in these waters were small, which is odd if they prefer waters with large abalones.

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LSAT PrepTest 148 Explanations

Section 1 - Logical Reasoning

Section 2 - Reading Comprehension

Section 3 - Logical Reasoning

Section 4 - Logical Reasoning

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