LSAT 151 – Section 4 – Question 21

LSAT 151 - Section 4 - Question 21

September 2018

You need a full course to see this video. Enroll now and get started in less than a minute.

Target time: 1:12

This is question data from the 7Sage LSAT Scorer. You can score your LSATs, track your results, and analyze your performance with pretty charts and vital statistics - all with a Free Account ← sign up in less than 10 seconds

Question QuickView	Type	Tags	Answer Choices	Curve	Question Difficulty	Psg/Game/S Difficulty	Explanation
PT151 S4 Q21	+LR +Exp	Method of reasoning or descriptive +Method Net Effect +NetEff	A 22% 160 B 5% 157 C 61% 164 D 5% 159 E 8% 157	146 157 169	+Harder	145.196 +SubsectionEasier

Evolution does not always optimize survival of an organism. Male moose evolved giant antlers as a way of fighting other males for mates, giving those with the largest antlers an evolutionary advantage. But those antlers also make it harder to escape predators, since they can easily get tangled in trees. All male moose would be better off with antlers half the current size: they would all be less vulnerable to predators, and those with the largest antlers would maintain their relative advantage.

Summarize Argument

The author concludes that evolution doesn’t always optimize an organism’s survival. This conclusion is supported by the example of male moose’s evolution of giant antlers. They evolved these antlers to fight other males; the largest antlers give an evolutionary advantage. But larger antlers make it harder to escape predators. Male moose would be better off, at least in terms of surviving from predators, if they all had smaller antlers.

Describe Method of Reasoning

The author supports a conclusion by using an example.

citing an example to cast doubt on a competing argument

Although the author does cite to an example to counter the claim that evolution always optimizes survival of an organism, this claim is not a competing argument. An argument requires a premise and conclusion; an individual claim is not necessarily an argument.

employing an analogy in order to dispute a generalization

The author doesn’t use an analogy. An example is not an analogy. Arguments by analogy involve an attempt to identify similarities between two things to support an inference that another similarity exists.

challenging a general claim by presenting a counterexample

Th author uses the male moose example to counter the general claim that evolution always optimizes survival of an organism. This general claim wasn’t explicitly laid out, but the author’s conclusion can be interpreted as a rejection of that general claim.

disputing the relevance of an example thought to support an opposing view

The author uses the example of male moose to support his own conclusion. This does not constitute disputing the relevance of the example.

undermining a claim by showing that it is self-contradictory

The author does not point out that any claim is self-contradictory. A self-contradictory claim is one that either asserts or implies something that is logically inconsistent with another part of the claim.

LSAT 151 – Section 4 – Question 21

LSAT 151 - Section 4 - Question 21

You need a full course to see this video. Enroll now and get started in less than a minute.

Take PrepTest

Review Results

LSAT PrepTest 151 Explanations

Section 1 - Reading Comprehension

Section 2 - Logical Reasoning

Section 3 - Logical Reasoning

Section 4 - Logical Reasoning

Leave a Reply Cancel