Logical Reasoning

PT103 · S1 · Q16 The point at issue between Henry

A free, expert breakdown of this official LSAT Logical Reasoning question.

  • Save & drill this skill build targeted practice sets from questions like this one

  • Video walkthroughs watch every question solved step by step

  • 81 official LSATs as questions, timed sections & full-length tests

Henry: Some scientists explain the dance of honeybees as the means by which honeybees communicate the location of whatever food source they have just visited to other members of the hive.

Henry's Conclusion

There must be some explanation (besides trying to send the location of food) for the honeybees' dance.

Henry's Evidence

They don't need a complicated mechanism like a dance to send the location of food; they could just leave a scent trail from the food to the hive.

Winnie's Response

There doesn't necessarily need to be some other explanation. (i.e. the honeybees' dance may genuinely be to guide other honeybees to a food source.

Winnie's Evidence

Most animals have multiple ways to accomplish the same task (some bees can navigate using position of Sun or by using memory of landmarks), so even though honeybees can use a scent trail, they can also use a dance.

Evaluate

Winnie's opener, "not necessarily", is clearly expressing disagreement. What was Henry saying was 'necessarily so'?

Henry said .

So, Winnie's "not necessarily" would be saying, not necessarily. that could be the only explanation.

If we wanted to go farther to the underlying reasoning, Henry thinks

Winnie thinks "It's perfectly thinkable that the only purpose of the dance would be a function that is somewhat redundant. It's common for animals to have redundant ways to accomplish a desired end.

Goal

Look for something saying they disagree over whether

16.

The point at issue between Henry and Winifred is whether

  1. theories of animal behavior can

    Out of Scope

    Out of Scope: theories of animal behavior Neither person is making any claims about on what basis "theories of animal behavior" can or can't be established. For us to pick this answer, we'd have to be able to derive from either Person 1 or Person 2's statements, that they believe "Theories of animal behavior can never be based on evidence about only one species". We can't infer a strong position like that from either paragraph.

    2% picked this

  2. there is more than one

    Unsupported Both

    We wouldn't be able to infer that either person would sign off on this claim. Henry thinks there is some explanation for the dance besides location of food. But he's probably assuming it's just one explanation. Winnie thinks that the purpose of the dance may well be food location. But she isn't necessarily thinking that the dance is also used for something else (she's only saying that something else may be used for food location, and that would be totally normal). In short, we don't know their positions on this claim. They probably would both say, "I don't believe there's more than one. I think there's probably just one valid explanation." They just disagree about what that one valid explanation is. (food location? or some other explanation?)

    36% picked this

  3. Correct

    honeybees communicate the location of

    Why this is right

    Henry would say "No, there must be some other explanation (besides communicating food location) for the dance." Winnie is saying, "Yes, honeybees communicate food location with their dance. They also communicate food location with a scent trail." By saying that the scent trail is supplementary, not exclusive, she's saying that the scent trail is Method #2 for communicating food location. It's implied that Method #1 is the dance.

    Skill tested: Agree/Disagree · how this choice captures the argument's function is the move to repeat next time.

    60% picked this

  4. the honeybee is the only

    Too Strong: the only

    We wouldn't be able to derive from either person's statements that they would agree with this extreme claim. Neither person is singling out the honeybee as the only species of bee that can do this.

    0% picked this

  5. the honeybee’s sense of smell

    Both Agree

    Both people acknowledge that the honeybee uses a scent trail as a food location (foraging) technique.

    2% picked this

Continue the review in LSAT Lab

Save this question, watch the video walkthrough, and drill similar questions in your LSAT Lab account.

LSAT Lab

Turn this review into a targeted study plan.

Save this question, drill more like it, watch the video walkthrough, and track your progress in your LSAT Lab account.

Start practicing free