LSAT 132 | Section 4 | Logical Reasoning: Q1

LR Question 1 Explanation

QUESTION TEXT: Marine biologist: Scientists have long wondered why the…

QUESTION TYPE: Identify the Conclusion

CONCLUSION: It is wrong to say that reef fish are colorful because reefs are colorful.

REASONING: Reefs aren’t colorful.

ANALYSIS: This is a dense stimulus that hides a very short argument. Notice the word “however” at the start of the third sentence. “However” indicates the conclusion.

The conclusion says that “this suggestion” is wrong. So you have to read back to see what the suggestion is: the idea was the reefs are colorful, and therefore reef fish are colorful for camouflage.

___________

1. The conclusion is that the hypothesis in this answer is wrong.
2. This is a true statement, but it’s not the conclusion. The conclusion is that the colorful camouflage statement is wrong.
3. CORRECT. Read the third sentence, starting with “however”. This is the conclusion.
4. This is evidence supporting the conclusion. Colorful fish aren’t camouflaging themselves in reefs.
5. This is evidence that supports the conclusion. The conclusion is that fish aren’t camouflaging themselves.

Recap: The question begins with “Marine biologist: Scientists have long wondered”. It is a Identify the Conclusion question. To practice more Identify the Conclusion questions, have a look at the LSAT Questions by Type page.