Logical ReasoningDifficulty: Hard

PT13 S4 Q23 Explanation

A certain species of bird

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

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Stimulus

A certain species of bird has two basic varieties: crested and noncrested. The birds, which generally live in flocks that contain only crested or only noncrested birds, tend to select mates of the same variety as themselves. However, if a bird that is raised in a flock in which all other members the birds’ preference for crested or noncrested mates is learned rather than genetically determined.

What this question is testing

Strengthen

Conclusion

The author is saying these birds aren't born preferring their own variety — they learn it from their flock.

Evidence

The case for that: take a noncrested bird and raise it among only crested birds. Even though it's genetically noncrested, it grows up to prefer crested mates. So the surrounding flock seems to drive the preference.

Evaluate

To make this case stronger, we'd want more evidence ruling out genetics. The strongest support would be a setup where the bird was raised in a mixed environment with no clear "type" to imprint on — and ended up with no preference. That would tell us preference doesn't come from genes (which would still produce a same-variety preference) — it comes from what the bird grows up around.

Goal

Find an answer where rearing in a neutral environment leads to no preference — showing the preference must be learned.

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

The question
23.

Which one of the following, if true, provides the most support for

Answer choices

  1. Out of Scope3% picked this

    Birds of other species also tend to show preferences for mates that have one or

    The argument is about whether mate preferences in this species are learned vs. genetic. Whether birds of other species show preferences for various physical features tells us nothing about the learned-vs-genetic question for this species.

  2. No Impact6% picked this

    In general there are few behavioral differences between the crested and noncrested birds

    The argument is specifically about mate preference. Other behavioral differences between crested and noncrested birds — or the absence of them — don't bear on whether mate preference itself is learned or genetic.

  3. No Impact3% picked this

    Both the crested and noncrested birds of the species tend to select mates that are similar to themselves

    This is about a different mate-selection trait — size and age, not crest. The argument is about whether crest preference is learned. Whether birds also pick mates of similar size or age says nothing about whether the crest preference itself is genetic or learned.

  4. No Impact18% picked this

    If a crested bird of the species is raised in captivity apart from other birds and is later moved to a mixed flock, that

    This essentially restates evidence already in the stimulus — a bird raised among only crested birds picks a crested mate. The added wrinkle of being "raised in captivity apart from other birds" doesn't change the fact that the bird's only social exposure was crested birds. We already knew that scenario produces a crested preference; it doesn't add new support.

  5. Correct69% picked this

    If a bird of the species is raised in a flock that contains both crested and noncrested birds, that bird shows no preference for

    Why this is right

    This is the strongest possible support. If preference were genetic, a crested bird raised in a mixed flock would still genetically prefer crested mates, and a noncrested bird raised in a mixed flock would still prefer noncrested mates. But the answer says these birds show no preference at all. That fits the learned-preference theory exactly — without a clear "type" to imprint on, the bird doesn't form a preference. It also rules out the genetic theory, since genes would still produce a same-variety preference regardless of flock makeup.

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

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