#4 - Concept Reference, Must Be True, Subject Perspective

[SherryZ]

Hi there, thank you so much for your help!

Dec 1999 LSAT Sec 3 LR, Q4:

When I confronted this question, I don't know where to locate the answer in the passage. So I based on my memory and guess, chose C (of course, it is wrong). The correct answer is E.

Could you tell me where I can locate the answer in the passage so that I can understand why E is right?

Thanks a lot!

---Sherry

[Emily Haney-Caron]

Hi Sherry,

Great question. Beginning at Line 55, the passage reads, "Zoologists theorize that okapis are relics of an era when forestland was scarce and that they continue to respect those borders even though available forestland has long since expanded." This is offered as an explanation for the otherwise puzzling behaviors of the okapi mentioned above. Zoologists' expectations in the new context identified by this question stem are likely to be consistent with the zoologist theory presented in the passage. (E) is consistent with the theory presented beginning at Line 55.

Does that help?

[SherryZ]

Hi Emily,

Thank you so much for your response! It helps me a lot!

But I also wonder why C is wrong, since in Line 49 says that "One possibility is that okapi was a competition against predators".

Thank you again for your help!

---Sherry

[Adam Tyson]

Hope I can help clear it up, Sherry. The line you referenced regarding predators was about why okapis tend to stay in the interior regions of their forestland habitats, rather than foraging at the border regions. One possible explanation is that there may be predators at the borders that are not as big a threat in the interior. Answer C suggests that okapis might be found in abundance in the interior portion of their habitat because of a complete lack of predators there, but that's a bit extreme - the passage never suggested that the interior was completely free of predators, just that being there provides the okapis with a defense against them (perhaps because they can hide more easily due to their camouflage). So, the predators might be there, but the okapis are safer.

Did that make sense?

[avengingangel]

Hello!

So, the line you referenced (lines 55) is Zoologist's views in response to the question, "Why are okapis absent from other nearby forest regions that would seem hospitable to them?" (lines 53-54).

The question stem gives the scenario of a "remote forest region" -- that means there aren't other forest regions nearby. So why would we answer choice E would be a strong response to this question??


To me, answer choice A seems like a much stronger choice (albeit not perfect - "neighboring" is not ideal, but also not mutually exclusive w/ "remote"). The viewpoint this answer choice is referencing (lines 49-52: "...another is that the okapi was pushed into the forest by competition with other large, hoofed animals...that specialize on the forest edges) is in response to the question: "Why do they prefer to remain within forested areas when many of their favorite plants are found in the open border between forest and savanna?" That seems to much more align with the question stem scenario, and thus, answer choice A would be the strongest response. Could you please tell me why A is incorrect ??

[Adam Tyson]

Hey there angel, happy to try to help here!

First, I might quibble with your interpretation of what "remote" means here. I interpret it not as meaning there is little forest nearby, but rather than this newly discovered habitat is cut off from the habitat we already know about. They are distinct from one another.

That quibble aside, though, I think we can still choose answer E over answer A because of the evidence in the passage. The passage never suggests that okapis ended up in their particular habitats because they were pushed there by predators. The predator information only relates to one reason why they stay in the interior portion of their forest habitat and stay away from the edges, and even there it's not the only reason offered. The other is competition from other foragers for the food there.

Our passage suggests in the final lines that the reason that they live in this habitat in the first place is because forestland was once scarce, and they still respect those old borders. Since that's offered as a reason for them being in one habitat, it makes sense that the same reason caused the other group to choose their similar habitat and to stay there. Where the effect is present, the cause is present! Predators may be a good reason for staying in the interior, but there's nothing to connect predators to the okapis choosing these forest habitats in the first place.