Logical ReasoningDifficulty: Easy

PT152 S2 Q8 Explanation

When researchers discovered

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

TopicsParadox

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Full official LSAT questions are available through LawHub. This page provides LSAT Lab's explanation, strategy, and review tools without republishing the full official question.

Stimulus

When researchers discovered that cuttlefish have the ability to make themselves suddenly appear larger, they presumed that this behavior, called a “startle display,” was used to scare off predators. A long-term study, however, reveals that cuttlefish never use startle displays to scare off predators off small fish that do not prey on cuttlefish.

What this question is testing

Paradox

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
8.

Which one of the following, if true, most helps to explain why cuttlefish

Answer choices

  1. Opposite1% picked this

    Cuttlefish feed primarily on small fish

    If cuttlefish feed on small fish, why do they use the "startle display" to scare small fish away?

  2. Correct96% picked this

    Groups of small fish are likely to attract a

    Why this is right

    This indicates that the "startle display" might indirectly protect cuttlefish from predators. The cuttlefish could be scaring the small fish away so that they don't attract predators to wherever the cuttlefish is doing cuttlefish stuff.

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

  3. No Impact2% picked this

    Small fish are more easily scared off by a startle display than are

    The fact that small fish are scared off more easily doesn't explain why cuttlefish scare them off and don't try to scare off predators. Do they scare small fish just because it's easy, and fun? That sounds like something a 13-year-old human would do, but we aren't given any reason to believe that cuttlefish act like middle school bullies.

  4. Out of Scope0% picked this

    Cuttlefish have acute senses and are able to

    Acute senses and the ability to change colors are cool abilities, but they don't explain why the cuttlefish only use the "startle display" to scare off small fish. We need to make a lot of assumptions in order for this to explain the way that cuttlefish use the startle display.

  5. Half Scope0% picked this

    Unlike insects that use startle displays, cuttlefish are usually able to move faster

    This could explain why cuttlefish don't use the startle display with predators, but it doesn't explain the other half of the paradox. Why do they scare off the smaller fish?

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