LSAT 139 | Section 3 | Reading Comprehension: Q23

RC Question 23 Explanation

DISCUSSION: The second sentence of the first paragraph says that Temple was researching endangered birds.

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1. CORRECT. See the second sentence of the first paragraph. Endangered birds are birds that face extinction.
2. The third sentence of the third paragraph mentions that certain test results let Temple figure out the crush resistant strength of the seeds. The lines don’t tell us exactly what test results Temple used.The bird studies mentioned nearby (second sentence of the third paragraph) didn’t measure pit strength. They just let Temple estimate the abrasive force in Dodo gizzards.
3. The studies in the second sentence of the third paragraph lets Temple estimate the abrasive force in Dodo gizzards. But that doesn’t mean any modern birds have the same abrasive force in their gizzards.In fact, if some modern bird gizzards have the same force as Dodo gizzards had, then Temple probably would have concluded that those birds could let Calvaria major pits germinate.
4. The author never describes the quality of Temple’s studies. The author only says that the studies lent Temple’s theory a ‘semblance’ of rigor (first sentence of the third paragraph). That indicates that the general theory wasn’t rigorous. It’s possible the studies were rigorous.
5. Actually, Temple’s major research topic was the endangered birds of Mauritius (the second sentence of the first paragraph). His research into Calvaria major pits was an offshoot of his original research (paragraph 1).