Logical Reasoning

PT153 · S2 · Q2 Biologist: Some small animals

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

  • Save & drill this skill build targeted practice sets from questions like this one

  • Video walkthroughs watch every question solved step by step

  • 81 official LSATs as questions, timed sections & full-length tests

Biologist: Some small animals will instinctively go limp, “playing dead” when caught by a predator.

Given that ...

A predator will eat an animal, whether it's pretending to be dead or still looking alive.

How is it that ...

Instinctively going limp and "playing dead" when caught by a predator can have survival value?

Goal

Let's look for any answer that helps us understand how "playing dead" helps the small animal being chased by the predator.

2.

Which one of the following, if true, would most help to resolve the apparent paradox described by the biologist?

  1. Many small animal species will

    No Impact

    This doesn't help us understand how "playing dead" helps a small animal being chased by a predator. This is talking about a small animal playing dead in response to a loud noise or sudden movement (not in response to a predator).

    4% picked this

  2. Correct

    Predators often leave their food

    Why this is right

    This helps us understand how "playing dead" helps a small animal being chased by a predator. A wolf catches up with a rabbit, and the rabbit plays dead. The wolf now carries the rabbit's limp, seemingly-lifeless body over to the wolf's hidey-hole, plops the rabbit in there for later, and then goes back out to continue the night's hunt. When the wolf comes back later to have it's delicious rabbit dessert, it realizes that the rabbit has run away! Wolf: "Hoodwinked! It wasn't really dead. It was just playing dead, and then it ran away as soon as I left the area. You rascally rabbit."

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

    92% picked this

  3. A small animal is more

    No Impact

    This doesn't help us understand how "playing dead" helps a small animal being chased by a predator. This just tells us about conditions in which the animal is more likely to be play dead, but we still don't know why playing dead would be helpful in those conditions.

    1% picked this

  4. Most predators prey upon a

    No Impact

    This doesn't help us understand how "playing dead" helps a small animal being chased by a predator. It just tells us that some of a predator's prey don't play dead. But that doesn't tell us how the prey that do play dead get any survival value out of it.

    1% picked this

  5. Many small animal species that

    No Impact

    This doesn't help us understand how "playing dead" helps a small animal being chased by a predator. It's not talking about small animals who play dead.

    2% picked this

Continue the review in LSAT Lab

Save this question, watch the video walkthrough, and drill similar questions in your LSAT Lab account.

LSAT Lab

Turn this review into a targeted study plan.

Save this question, drill more like it, watch the video walkthrough, and track your progress in your LSAT Lab account.

Start practicing free