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- Wed May 17, 2017 2:37 pm
#34973
Complete Question Explanation
(See the complete passage discussion here: lsat/viewtopic.php?t=14154)
The correct answer choice is (A)
The general nature of the question makes it difficult to arrive at a more precise prephrase. Instead, try
the process of elimination: any answer choice that cannot be proven by the passage will be incorrect.
Answer choice (A): This is the correct answer choice. The chemicals referred to are none other
than secondary substances: they are not directly involved in the growth or metabolism of any species
of plant (lines 9-11), but play a vital role in the lives of various kinds of plants (i.e. by attracting
pollinating insects or by providing a defense mechanism).
Answer choice (B): While some insects do manage to circumvent the defenses of certain species of
plants, there is no evidence that most plants fall prey to a wide variety of insects. On the contrary:
“fewer and fewer plants have remained as suitable food sources for any one species of insect” (lines
52-54).
Answer choice (C): Secondary substances give plants their distinctive taste and smell (line 16),
which insects use to identify a given plant (lines 50-51). Whether insects can also identify plants by
some means other than their characteristic taste or smell is entirely unknown.
Answer choice (D): This answer choice contains an exaggeration: we cannot prove “many.” In
addition, while it is true that some secondary substances are toxic to insects, and also true that
some have survived in botanically restricted groups of plants, it is unclear whether any particular
secondary substance has both of these attributes in common. Last, although it is reasonable to expect
that at least some secondary substances have evolved independently in various unrelated species of
plants, we cannot confirm that many of them have done so.
Answer choice (E): The author makes no mention of toxic substances other than secondary
substances.
(See the complete passage discussion here: lsat/viewtopic.php?t=14154)
The correct answer choice is (A)
The general nature of the question makes it difficult to arrive at a more precise prephrase. Instead, try
the process of elimination: any answer choice that cannot be proven by the passage will be incorrect.
Answer choice (A): This is the correct answer choice. The chemicals referred to are none other
than secondary substances: they are not directly involved in the growth or metabolism of any species
of plant (lines 9-11), but play a vital role in the lives of various kinds of plants (i.e. by attracting
pollinating insects or by providing a defense mechanism).
Answer choice (B): While some insects do manage to circumvent the defenses of certain species of
plants, there is no evidence that most plants fall prey to a wide variety of insects. On the contrary:
“fewer and fewer plants have remained as suitable food sources for any one species of insect” (lines
52-54).
Answer choice (C): Secondary substances give plants their distinctive taste and smell (line 16),
which insects use to identify a given plant (lines 50-51). Whether insects can also identify plants by
some means other than their characteristic taste or smell is entirely unknown.
Answer choice (D): This answer choice contains an exaggeration: we cannot prove “many.” In
addition, while it is true that some secondary substances are toxic to insects, and also true that
some have survived in botanically restricted groups of plants, it is unclear whether any particular
secondary substance has both of these attributes in common. Last, although it is reasonable to expect
that at least some secondary substances have evolved independently in various unrelated species of
plants, we cannot confirm that many of them have done so.
Answer choice (E): The author makes no mention of toxic substances other than secondary
substances.