Biologist: We know the following

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

TopicsMust be True

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Stimulus

Biologist: We know the following things about plant X. Specimens with fuzzy seeds always have long stems but never have white flowers. Specimens with curled leaves always have white flowers, and specimens with thorny seedpods always have curled leaves. garden has a long stem and curled leaves.

What this question is testing

Must be True

Your task

Break the argument into its conclusion and evidence, then do exactly what the question stem asks with that structure.

Common trap

Answers that sound relevant to the topic but don't connect to the argument's actual reasoning.

Winning move

Predict what a right answer must do, then test each choice against the conclusion-evidence gap.

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

The question

24.

From the biologist’s statements, which one of the following can be properly inferred about the specimen of plant X

Answer choices

Unsupported: thorny seedpods13% picked this
It has white flowers and thorny
We know that this specimen has a long stem (which leads nowhere) and curled leaves, which leads to white flowers and no fuzzy seeds. We don't know whether or not it has thorny seedpods. Thorny → Curled → White → No Fuzzy Seedpods Leaves flowers Seeds Long Stems Fuzzy → and Seeds No White → No Curled → No Thorny Flowers Leaves Seedpods
13%
Unsupported: thorny seedpods3% picked this
It has white flowers but lacks
We know that this specimen has a long stem (which leads nowhere) and curled leaves, which leads to white flowers and no fuzzy seeds. We have no idea whether it has thorny seedpods or not. Thorny → Curled → White → No Fuzzy Seedpods Leaves flowers Seeds Long Stems Fuzzy → and Seeds No White → No Curled → No Thorny Flowers Leaves Seedpods
3%
Correct63% picked this
It has white flowers but lacks
Why this is right
We know that this specimen has a long stem (which leads nowhere) and curled leaves, which leads to white flowers and no fuzzy seeds. Thorny → Curled → White → No Fuzzy Seedpods Leaves flowers Seeds Long Stems Fuzzy → and Seeds No White → No Curled → No Thorny Flowers Leaves Seedpods
Skill tested: Must be True · how this choice captures the argument's function is the move to repeat next time.
63%
Unsupported: thorny seedpods17% picked this
It has fuzzy seeds and thorny
We know that this specimen has a long stem (which leads nowhere) and curled leaves, which leads to white flowers and no fuzzy seeds. We have no idea whether it has thorny seedpods or not. Thorny → Curled → White → No Fuzzy Seedpods Leaves flowers Seeds Long Stems Fuzzy → and Seeds No White → No Curled → No Thorny Flowers Leaves Seedpods
17%
Double-Contradicted3% picked this
It lacks both white flowers and
We know that this specimen has a long stem (which leads nowhere) and curled leaves, which leads to white flowers and no fuzzy seeds. Thorny → Curled → White → No Fuzzy Seedpods Leaves flowers Seeds Long Stems Fuzzy → and Seeds No White → No Curled → No Thorny Flowers Leaves Seedpods
3%

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