LSAT 158 – Section 2 – Question 21

LSAT 158 - Section 2 - Question 21

May 2020

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Question
QuickView		 Type Tags Answer
Choices		 Curve Question
Difficulty		 Psg/Game/S
Difficulty		 Explanation
PT158 S2 Q21
+LR
Weaken +Weak
A
7%
155
B
66%
162
C
16%
158
D
10%
159
E
1%
154
129
149
168
 +Medium 146.031 +SubsectionMedium

A geologist recently claimed to have discovered in clay a previously unknown form of life: “nanobes,” one-tenth the size of the smallest known bacteria. However, it is unlikely that nanobes truly are living things. They are probably inanimate artifacts of the clay’s microscopic structure, because a nanobe is too small to contain a reproductive mechanism, a prerequisite for life.

Summarize Argument: Phenomenon-Hypothesis
The author hypothesizes that nanobes, a supposedly living organism found in clay, are actually nonliving inanimate artifacts of this clay’s structure. This is because a nanobe is too small to have a reproductive mechanism, which is required to be classified as a living thing.

Notable Assumptions
The author assumes that nanobes are too small to contain any form of reproductive mechanism.
The author also assumes that the clay can produce non-living artifacts like nanodes

A
No known form of bacteria is complicated enough in structure to engage in a sexual type of reproduction.
The argument is not focused on *sexual reproduction*. Any type of reproduction would suffice for nanodes to be classified as living.
B
Single-celled creatures can combine to form a multicelled structure and then reproduce before they disband into separate single cells again.
This undermines the argument by showing that small organisms without a clear reproduction mechanism can still nonetheless reproduce. This directly weakens the link between the premise and conclusion.
C
The material phenomena that some scientists claim are the fossilized remains of bacteria in meteorites from Mars are approximately the same size as nanobes.
This does not specify whether the nanodes are living or not. It leaves far too much up for assumption.
D
Previous definitions of life were based on research done with inferior microscopes no longer in use.
While this casts doubt on previous definitions of life, it does not seriously weaken the argument’s claim that nanodes are not living due to their inability to reproduce.
E
Animals such as cold-blooded lizards can be physiologically simpler, though still larger, than other animals.
This comparison is completely irrelevant to the argument’s reasoning. The argument is focused on whether nanodes are living due to their size limiting their capacity for a reproductive mechanism.

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LSAT PrepTest 158 Explanations

Section 1 - Reading Comprehension

Section 2 - Logical Reasoning

Section 3 - Logical Reasoning

Section 4 - Logical Reasoning

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