LSAT 117 | Section 2 | Logical Reasoning: Q10

LR Question 10 Explanation

QUESTION TEXT: Before their larvae hatch, each parental pair …

QUESTION TYPE: Paradox

PARADOX: We would expect two parents feeding the larvae = larger, healthier larvae. But we observe that removing one parent before hatching = larvae become larger and heavier.

ANALYSIS: Why would having less parental help lead to better-fed offspring?

The key fact is that the carcass is entirely consumed in one week.

This means the carcass is a limited food supply. If removing one parent leads to bigger larvae, the missing explanation is likely that the removed parent was also consuming some of that limited food.

If you have 2 parents and 3 kids all sharing one pizza, each kid is gonna have less pizza. If one parent leaves, the children would get more pizza, even if they have one less caregiver.

The children end up better fed because there is less competition for the same amount of food.

___________

1. This makes having two parents seem better because they can obtain a larger carcass. It doesn’t explain why removing one parent improves larval growth.
2. CORRECT. If both parents also eat from the carcass, then they are competing with the larvae for a limited food supply.
3. Taking turns feeding the larvae doesn’t explain why having only one parent leads to larger larvae.
4. The larvae’s ability to feed themselves after a week is irrelevant because the carcass is already consumed within a week, and the paradox concerns growth during that period.
5. Better defense by two parents would make us expect larvae to do better with both parents present. This makes the paradox worse.