LSAT 104 | Section 3 | Reading Comprehension: Q20

RC Question 20 Explanation

DISCUSSION: Papi’s theory is described in the third paragraph. His theory is that pigeons have a map sense. They use their sense of smell to find their way home.

Papi’s evidence is that pigeons can’t find their way home when their nostrils are plugged.

The author already weakened Papi’s argument by showing that it may instead be discomfort that prevents pigeons from finding their way home.

(lines 57-58)

Now we need to find a new way to weaken Papi’s argument.

___________

1. This is perfectly consistent with Papi’s theory. The pigeons might each follow the smell of their home loft.
2. This supports Papi’s theory that pigeons use their sense of smell to get home.
3. Err…are the pigeons released at the same place? And at the same time?
    
   It’s not surprising if pigeons released at different sites take different routes home. And smells can change over time.
4. CORRECT. Papi’s theory was that pigeon’s found their way home by smells. This shows that pigeons can find their way home even when it’s impossible to smell your way home.
    
   Technically, pigeons might still be able to use smells, but this at least shows they don’t need to use smells.
5. This doesn’t matter. We humans can read using our eyes, even though we don’t have better eyesight than other species who can’t read.
    
   Which is to say, the strength of a pigeon’s sense of smell may not be the only factor in their homing ability.