Logical ReasoningDifficulty: Easy

PT23 S2 Q1 Explanation

Anita: Since 1960 the spotted owl

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

TopicsMethod

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Stimulus

Anita: Since 1960 the spotted owl population has declined alarmingly. Timber companies that have been clearing the old-growth forests where the spotted owl lives are responsible for this. Jean: No, the spotted owl’s decline is due not to the timber companies but to a rival species. For the past three decades, into the spotted owl’s habitat and replacing the spotted owl.

What this question is testing

Method

Your task

Describe how the argument proceeds — the technique it uses to reach its conclusion.

Common trap

Answers that describe a method the argument doesn't actually use.

Winning move

Track the role each statement plays, then match that to the choice describing the same moves.

Reading along? Open the full official question in LawHub — we show a fragment here and keep the reasoning in our own words.

The question
1.

Jean does which one of the following in her response

Answer choices

  1. Trap3% picked this

    denies the truth of Anita’s premise that timber companies have been

  2. Trap1% picked this

    challenges Anita’s assumption that the decline in the population of the spotted owl poses a threat to

  3. Correct96% picked this

    proposes an alternative explanation for the decline in the spotted

    Why this is right

    Answer C is correct.

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

  4. Trap0% picked this

    argues that Anita’s conclusion is not valid because she has failed to consider the spotted owl population over

  5. Trap0% picked this

    suggests that Anita overlooked the possibility that spotted owls are able to live in forests that

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