LSAT 150 | Section 2 | Logical Reasoning: Q13

LR Question 13 Explanation

QUESTION TEXT: Scientist: It seems likely that the earliest dinosaurs to fly…

QUESTION TYPE: Strengthen

CONCLUSION: Early dinosaurs probably learned to fly by gliding from trees, rather than taking off from the ground.

REASONING: Tree gliding animals can have simple wings, which are a middle stage in the evolution of larger wings.

ANALYSIS: This is a plausible argument. Since this is an “except” question, four answers will provide for some support. The wrong answer doesn’t have to weaken the argument: it just won’t support it.

The two possibilities are:

• Climbing up tree and gliding off.
• Running on ground and starting to fly from ground.

We can strengthen the former or weaken the latter.

___________

1. CORRECT. This is ambiguous. It’s unclear if the trees were used as nests because the dinosaurs climbed them, or merely as shelter. The trees could be good shelter for nests, even if the dinosaurs flew from a running start.
2. This helps show the early dinosaurs actually could have made it to the top of the trees.
3. This shows that the wings of early flying dinosaurs were better suited for gliding.
4. This weakens the alternate possibility. It’s hard to take off from a running start if you can’t run!
5. This shows that gliding dinosaurs would be safe from predators when they climbed trees.

Recap: The question begins with “Scientist: It seems likely that the earliest dinosaurs to fly”. It is a Strengthen question. Learn how to master LSAT Strengthen questions on the LSAT Logical Reasoning question types page.