LSAT 10 | Section 1 | Logical Reasoning: Q9

LR Question 9 Explanation

QUESTION TEXT: Paleontologists have discovered fossils of centipedes that …

QUESTION TYPE: Strengthen (Exception)

CONCLUSION: The centipedes whose fossils were found lived on land.

REASONING: There’s no reasoning provided.

ANALYSIS: We’re looking for an answer that LEAST supports the paleontologists’ belief. So the incorrect answers will support the idea that they lived on land, but the correct one will either weaken or be neutral.

___________

1. This supports the idea they were land-dwelling. Morphological evidence like land-adapted legs strengthens the conclusion.
2. Supports. This suggests that centipedes are typically terrestrial, which makes it more likely these ancient ones were too.
3. Supports. If the habitat was intermittently dry, that makes it plausible for land-dwellers to live and die there (not exclusively aquatic creatures).
4. CORRECT. This suggests that earlier land animals were found in dry-only contexts, while these centipedes were found with aquatic fossils. That could cast doubt on whether the centipedes were actually land-dwellers.
5. Supports. If spiders that can only live on land were found in the same rock, it might make it more likely that the centipedes were also land-dwelling.