Logical ReasoningDifficulty: Easy

PT144 S2 Q4 Explanation

Biologist: A careful study of the behavior

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

TopicsFlaw

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Stimulus

Biologist: A careful study of the behavior of six individual chameleons concluded that lizards such as chameleons bask in the sun not only for warmth but also to regulate their production of vitamin D. Critics of the study—although correct in observing that its sample size was very small—are wrong to doubt regarded professionally and has been doing excellent work for years.

What this question is testing

Flaw

Your task

Describe the reasoning error the argument actually commits.

Common trap

Answers that name a real logical flaw the argument doesn't actually make.

Winning move

Articulate the gap in the reasoning yourself, then match it to the choice that describes that 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
4.

The reasoning in the biologist's argument is most vulnerable to criticism on the grounds

Answer choices

  1. Trap1% picked this

    takes the behavior of chameleons to be generalizable to lizards as

  2. Trap0% picked this

    fails to explain how chameleons regulate their vitamin D production by basking

  3. Correct91% picked this

    focuses its attention on the study's author rather than on the

    Why this is right

    Answer C is correct.

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

  4. Trap1% picked this

    fails to demonstrate that the study's critics have

  5. Trap6% picked this

    holds the study's author to a higher standard than it holds

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