Logical ReasoningDifficulty: Hard

PT159 S3 Q25 ExplanationPaleontologist: Most biologists accept that birds evolved from

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

TopicsFlaw

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Stimulus

Paleontologist: Most biologists accept that birds evolved from dinosaurs known as maniraptors. Some biologists have not accepted this theory, because the oldest known bird fossils predate the oldest known maniraptor fossils by several million years. This reasoning is misguided, however; the fact that no maniraptor hardly rules out the possibility that such fossils exist.

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
25.

The paleontologist's argument is most vulnerable to criticism on which one of

Answer choices, explained

  1. Trap9% picked this

    It overlooks the possibility that even if a particular argument against a theory is misguided, that theory

  2. Trap11% picked this

    It fails to address adequately the possibility that even if maniraptors existed before the first birds did, there may not be any maniraptor fossils

  3. Trap15% picked this

    It takes for granted that if there are any maniraptor fossils older than the oldest known bird fossils, this itself proves

  4. Trap11% picked this

    It overlooks the possibility that there may be substantial evidence that birds did not evolve from maniraptors, but that this evidence may be unrelated

  5. Correct54% picked this

    It fails to address adequately the possibility that it can be reasonable to refuse to accept a theory solely on the grounds that the

    Why this is right

    Answer E is correct.

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

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