LSAT 154 – Section 2 – Question 03

LSAT 154 - Section 2 - Question 03

September 2017

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

Request new explanation

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
PT154 S2 Q03
+LR
Resolve reconcile or explain +RRE
Causal Reasoning +CausR
A
0%
150
B
1%
156
C
1%
151
D
95%
162
E
3%
149
127
135
143
 +Easier 144.659 +SubsectionEasier

Horses, although descended from a forest-dwelling ancestor, thrive in grasslands. In the last 2 million years, horses have gone through three cycles of population increase followed by a rapid decline in population. The most recent cycle peaked 25,000 years ago during a cold period that preceded a period of warming.

"Surprising" Phenomenon
Horses peaked 25,000 years ago and then rapidly declined.

Objective
The correct answer will explain why horses peaked 25,000 years ago before rapidly declining. The explanation will explain why horses peaked during a cold period and declined during a period of warming. This explanation must show that the cooler period was favorable for horses, while the warming period was in some way difficult for horses. Since the stimulus states that horses thrive in grasslands, the explanation will likely involve how grasslands respond to warming and cooling.

A
The forest-dwelling ancestor of horses was many times smaller than horses.
We’re talking about modern horses, not their descendants. We also don’t know how size impacts horses’ ability to withstand cooling and warming.
B
The only true wild horse existing today, Przewalski’s horse, inhabits the cold grasslands of Central Asia.
This suggests that horses thrive in cold grasslands, but the stimulus already more or less says that. We need to know why horses peaked 25,000 years ago.
C
Some modern species that are related to horses, such as zebras, inhabit the warm grasslands of Africa.
This is the opposite of (B), and therefore runs slightly contrary to our stimulus. Horses peaked during a cool period. It doesn’t matter if some horse relatives thrive in warm climates.
D
During cold periods there are extensive grasslands, but these tend to revert to forest when the climate warms.
Horses thrive on grasslands. Cold periods provide horses ample habitats, while warmer periods turn grasslands into forests. This explains why horses peaked during a cold period and declined rapidly during a warm one.
E
Several cycles of a cold period followed by a period of warming have occurred in the last 2 million years.
We need to know why horses peaked during one of these cycles 25,000 years ago. This doesn’t give us any explanation.

Take PrepTest

Review Results

LSAT PrepTest 154 Explanations

Section 1 - Logical Reasoning

Section 2 - Logical Reasoning

Section 3 - Reading Comprehension

Section 4 - Logical Reasoning

Get full LSAT course

Leave a Reply