LSAT 156 | Section 2 | Logical Reasoning: Q2

LR Question 2 Explanation

QUESTION TEXT: Body temperature can be estimated by the relative …

QUESTION TYPE: Weaken

CONCLUSION: Dinosaurs were probably warm-blooded.

REASONING: Dinosaur fossils show similar temperatures in limbs and core, and cold-blooded animals today don’t show that pattern.

ANALYSIS: You might have noticed the switch from dinosaur fossils to “animals today”. Good.

If the way we measure body temperature in live animals isn’t reliable for fossils, then we have an issue.

___________

1. The argument says the dinosaurs had “nearly the same” temperature (not the exact same), so this can still be compatible with the argument.
2. CORRECT. If fossilization alters isotope ratios, the evidence about temperature is unreliable, which undermines the argument.
3. Wow. Talk about big picture. We care about oxygen levels in the bone and have no indication of how the atmosphere affects that.
4. This shows that there’s variance based on size, but still doesn’t really challenge that dinosaurs were warm-blooded.
5. We don’t know how oxygen use and activity factors into anything.