LSAT 146 | Section 2 | Logical Reasoning: Q7

LR Question 7 Explanation

QUESTION TEXT: Naturalist: Different nonhuman primate species exhibit many…

QUESTION TYPE: Most Strongly Supported

FACTS:

1. Chimpanzees will examine and play with a screwdriver for a while and then do something else.
2. An orangutan will seem to ignore the screwdriver, and then try to use it to unscrew its cage.

ANALYSIS: The naturalist tells us an interesting story about what happens when a zookeeper leaves a screwdriver with different primates. There isn’t really any way to combine these statements, so instead you have to carefully consider whether the answers are things you can deduce from the statements.

___________

1. This doesn’t follow. First of all, we don’t know if “unscrewing the cage” indicates superior intelligence. Second, this question tells us nothing about primates other than chimpanzees and orangutans.
2. It’s not clear to me how memory plays into this. Both animals were only shown the tool once. The chimpanzees may remember the screwdriver later, but be bored with it.
3. CORRECT. The key to reading an answer like this properly is to substitute the word “some” for the actual noun from the stimulus. If you read this as “orangutans are capable of deception”, then it’s clear this answer is supported. Orangutans are a nonhuman primate, so they can fill in for “some”.
    
   Orangutans deceive the zookeepers by pretending to ignore the screwdriver and then using it only when the zookeeper leaves.
    
   I should note that I found this a tricky answer at first.

4. This is a tempting answer, but it’s a trap. For two reasons:

   1. The chimps may realize that escape is futile, and not even try.
   2. The orangutans may not be trying to escape. They may simply enjoy fiddling with the cage, but realize they wouldn’t be allowed to do it with the zookeeper around.
5. This is another trap. The chimpanzees may well understand how the screwdriver works, but decide not to use it. Further, there are tools other than screwdrivers. So chimpanzees might understand those tools, even if they didn’t understand screwdrivers.