LSAT 123 | Section 4 | Reading Comprehension: Q11

RC Question 11 Explanation

DISCUSSION: For a disagree question, you should either look for:

1. Explicit disagreement (i.e. the passages each address the answer), or
2. Disagreement on a major theme. For example, in this case, passage A thinks that music was just a coincidence, whereas passage B thinks it is central to emotional bonding between mothers and infants.

___________

1. Passage A does mention larger brains, but they express no opinion on what this might have required.
2. Passage A mentions this on lines 8-10. But, passage B doesn’t mention language, so we have no idea whether they agree or disagree.
3. Both authors mention that brain size increased. Passage B says “rapidly” (line 52), passage A doesn’t mention speed. So, we have no reason to think they would disagree.
4. CORRECT. In lines 57-62, passage B says that music would have given humans a large evolutionary advantage by allowing bonding between mothers and infants. Whereas in lines 21-27, the author of passage B makes clear they think music was just a byproduct, with little evolutionary value.
5. Passage A never mentions mother-infant bonding, so we can’t know whether they agree or disagree with anything related to it.