LSAT 103 | Section 3 | Logical Reasoning: Q1

LR Question 1 Explanation

QUESTION TEXT: From the tenth century until around the year 1500, there were Norse…

QUESTION TYPE: Paradox

PARADOX: Norsemen in Greenland died, while the Inuit survived. This happened around 1500, when temperatures fell.

ANALYSIS: We need a reason why Greenland Norse died, but the Inuit didn’t.

The right answer shows that the Norse were vulnerable to cold, while the Inuit weren’t. The Norse depended on warmer weather to grow their food.

___________

1. This doesn’t let us differentiate between the Norse and the Inuit.
2. CORRECT. This shows that the Norse were particularly vulnerable to colder temperatures, unlike the Inuit.
3. These North American Norse settlements tell us nothing about the Norse in Greenland.
4. Same as A. This doesn’t explain why the Norse died and the Inuit survived.
5. This tells us that some Norsemen survived colder weather (but not those in Greenland). This doesn’t let us say why Greenland Norse died but Greenland Inuit survived.

Recap: The question begins with “From the tenth century until around the year 1500, there were Norse”. It is a Paradox question. Learn how to master LSAT Paradox questions on the LSAT Logical Reasoning question types page.