Sign up to star your favorites LSAT 115 - Section 4 - Question 17
March 26, 2013
Summary
The author concludes that humans should not try to prevent or control forest fires; rather, fores firest should be left alone and allowed to burn out naturally. This is based on the fact that forest fires are required for many forests to flourish.
Missing Connection
The conclusion tells us that we shouldn’t try to prevent or control forest fires. But the premise doesn’t tell us anything about when we “should not” do something. All we know from the premise is that many forests need forest fires in order for their ecosystems to flourish. The correct answer needs to connect this premise to something prescriptive. For example, “If forest fires are required by many forests to flourish, then humans should not try to prevent or control forest fires.”
A
Human intervention in natural processes tends to reduce the biological diversity of ecosystems.
(A) doesn’t tell me why we “should not” do something. Sure, maybe human intervention reduces biological diversity...but is that something we should care about? We don’t know.
B
Protection of forests and their ecosystems is the only legitimate reason for attempting to prevent or control forest fires.
(B) isolates protection of forests and their ecosystems as the only “legitimate” reason for trying to prevent or control forest fires. In other words, no other consideration should matter when deciding whether to prevent/control forest fires. And, since we know from the premise that forest fires are good for the protection of forests, (B) implies that we should not prevent/control fires.
C
Forest fires begun by careless campers should be the target of human fire control efforts.
We’re trying to conclude that we shouldn’t systematically prevent/control forest fires. (C) goes in the opposite direction.
D
Humans tend to view forests as well as other ecosystems as instruments for the satisfaction of human needs.
(D) doesn’t establish that we shouldn’t try to prevent/control fires. How humans perceive forests doesn’t prove anything about what humans should not do.
E
If the health of an ecosystem is threatened by insects or other predators, human beings should not intervene to block that threat.
(E) concerns threats to an ecosystem by insects or other predators. But we have no reason to think this is related to threats posed by forest fires. What humans should do in response to threats by insects or other predators does not prove what they should do in response to forest fires.