Logical ReasoningDifficulty: Hard

PT131 S1 Q13 ExplanationIt is a mistake to think

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

TopicsMain Conclusion

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Stimulus

It is a mistake to think, as ecologists once did, that natural selection will eventually result in organisms that will be perfectly adapted to their environments. After all, perfect adaptation of an individual to its environment is impossible, for an individual's environment can vary tremendously; no single to cope with all the conditions that it could face.

What this question is testing

Main Conclusion

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
13.

Which one of the following most accurately expresses the main conclusion of

Answer choices, explained

  1. Intermediate Conclusion17% picked this

    It is not possible for an individual to be perfectly adapted

    This is an intermediate conclusion that is supported by a premise and that also supports the main conclusion.

  2. Correct69% picked this

    Natural selection will never result in individuals that will be perfectly adapted

    Why this is right

    This best paraphrases the argument’s conclusion.

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

  3. Premise3% picked this

    No single set of attributes could enable an individual organism to cope with all of the conditions

    This is a premise that supports the argument’s intermediate conclusion.

  4. Intermediate Argument10% picked this

    Because an individual's environment can vary tremendously, no individual can be perfectly adapted

    This is both a premise and intermediate conclusion of the argument.

  5. Opposing Point2% picked this

    Ecologists once believed that natural selection would eventually result in individuals that will be perfectly

    This is the point the author sets out to refute.

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