Reading ComprehensionDifficulty: Hard

PT107 S2 P3 Q17 Explanation

Platypus Bill

A free, expert breakdown of this official LSAT Reading Comprehension question.

TopicsMain PointScience

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Passage

Scientists have long known that the soft surface of the bill of the platypus is perforated with openings that contain sensitive nerve endings. Only recently, however, have biologists concluded on the basis of new evidence that the animal uses its bill to locate its prey while underwater, a conclusion suggested by the bill. But Bohringer’s investigations did not explain how the animal locates its prey at a distance.

Scheich’s neurophysiological studies contribute to solving this mystery. His initial work showed that when a platypus feeds, it swims along steadily wagging its bill from side to side until prey is encountered. It thereupon switches to searching behavior, characterized by erratic movements of the bill over a small area at the bottom reasonable to assume that all the invertebrates on which the platypus feeds must produce electric fields.

What this question is testing

Main Point

Your task

Capture the passage's overall primary point — the claim everything else supports.

Common trap

Answers that are true but too narrow (a single paragraph) or too broad (beyond the passage's scope).

Winning move

Summarize the whole passage in one sentence first, then match it to a choice.

Reading along? Open the full official question in LawHub — we show a fragment here and keep the reasoning in our own words.

The question
17.

Which one of the following statements best expresses the main idea of

Answer choices

  1. Wrong Emphasis: primary sensory organ18% picked this

    Neurophysiological studies have established that the bill of the platypus is one of its

    Although this was said in the 1st paragraph, the main takeaway is supposed to be that "the bill of the platypus is used to locate prey underwater".

  2. Correct67% picked this

    Neurophysiological studies have established that the platypus uses its bill to locate

    Why this is right

    Okay, not too shabby! This aligns with our Most Valuable Sentence, which was adorned with two of the famous Purpose Pivots (but, yet, however, recently). Everything else in the passage was subsidiary to this headline. It elaborated on exactly how it is that the platypus uses its bill to locate prey underwater.

    Skill tested: Main Point · how this choice captures the passage's function is the move to repeat next time.

  3. Wrong Emphasis4% picked this

    Bohringer’s neurophysiological studies have established that sensory receptors in the bill of the platypus respond

    Wrong Emphasis: respond to stimulation Too Narrow: Bohringer Mismatched Scientists The passage is pretty well split between Bohringer and Scheich, so we wouldn't want our main point answer to only mention one of them. This answer fails to present the main discovery: the platypus uses its bill to locate prey underwater. Instead, it just presents a very minor narrow detail. It also botches the detail, in the sense that Scheich, not Bohringer, is the scientist who worked on electrical stimulation. Bohringer worked on tactile stimluation.

  4. Wrong Emphasis: surface is perforated2% picked this

    Biologists have concluded that the surface of the bill of the platypus is perforated with openings that

    Although this was said in the 1st paragraph, the main takeaway is supposed to be that "the bill of the platypus is used to locate prey underwater". How does the platypus use its bill to locate prey underwater? Well, it starts with knowing that the surface of the bill is perforated with pores that contain two different types of receptors .... This answer is just presenting a subsidiary detail.

  5. Too Narrow: just electric9% picked this

    Biologists have concluded that the hunting platypus responds to weak electric fields emitted

    Although this was said in the 2nd paragraph, the main takeaway is supposed to be that "the bill of the platypus is used to locate prey underwater". Part of how it hunts prey underwater is picking up on their weak electric field to detect it at a distance. Once it picks up the electrical "scent", then it dive bombs the bottom of the water and starts throwing its bill around. From the 1st paragraph, we know that if the bill knocks up against anything, that tactile pressure induces the bill to start a snapping motion, to gobble up whatever is nearby. Like (D), this provides one subsidiary detail in the overarching story about the platypus using its bill to hunt prey underwater.

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