Logical Reasoning

PT18 · S2 · Q14 Professor: Members of most species

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

Start practicing free

Professor: Members of most species are able to communicate with other members of the same species, but it is not true that all communication can be called “language.” The human communication system unquestionably qualifies as language.

Professor

Even though most species can communicate with each other, we don't want to call all that communication "language". Human communication, meanwhile, is clearly language (in fact, language is kind of defining trait of being human).

Student

How do you know that the highly evolved communication systems of songbirds, dolphins, honeybees, and apes are not languages?

Evaluate

Even though the question stem just asks how Person 2 interpreted the first person, this question stem always means "misinterpreted".

If I were the professor, I would answer the student by saying, 'What are you talking about? I never said that all those animals you just mentioned aren't using languages. I was just saying some forms of communication aren't language, but those ones you mentioned are."

Goal

The student must be hearing "only the human communication system is language", because otherwise why would she be responding as though the Professor had made any judgment on whether dolphins, bees, etc. also possess language?

14.

The student has interpreted the professor’s remarks to mean that

  1. different species can have similar

    Opposite

    The student seems to be hearing that only humans have language, only humans have language as a defining trait. This answer sounds more like, "lots of species, like dolphins / honeybees / apes / etc. have a similar defining trait to that of humans: the use of language".

    11% picked this

  2. every human trait except using

    Too Strong: every human trait

    If the student thought that the professor was saying that every human trait besides language is shared by at least one species, she would have said something more like, "How do you know that some animals like to dance, some are jealous, some dream stories at night, some laugh when others trip and fall, etc."

    2% picked this

  3. not all languages are used

    Unsupported

    If the student were arguing with this, she'd be insisting that "All languages are used to communicate." But she's arguing, "some of these other communication systems are also language."

    12% picked this

  4. Correct

    using language is a trait

    Why this is right

    Yes, the student seems to be objecting to this idea. "Language isn't shared with any other species?! So humans are the only ones who have language? How do you know that dolphins and apes, for example, don't have language?"

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

    74% picked this

  5. humans cannot communicate with members

    Unsupported

    If the student were objecting to this, she'd be arguing that humans can communicate with members of other species, but her question is arguing that other species also have language.

    1% picked this

Continue the review in LSAT Lab

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

Save and practice this skill
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