Logical ReasoningDifficulty: Easy

PT5 S3 Q13 Explanation

Economist: Money, no matter what

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

TopicsParadox

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Stimulus

Economist: Money, no matter what its form and in almost every culture in which it has been used, derives its value real or perceived.

Anthropologist: But cowrie shells formed the major currency in the Solomon Island economy of the Kwara’ae, and unlimited numbers of these shells washed up daily the Kwara’ae had access.

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
13.

Which one of the following, if true about the Kwara’ae, best serves to resolve the apparently conflicting

Answer choices

  1. Trap1% picked this

    During festivals they exchanged strings of cowrie-shell money with each other as part of a traditional ritual

  2. Trap1% picked this

    They considered porpoise teeth valuable, and these were generally threaded on strings to be

  3. Trap1% picked this

    The shells used as money by men were not always from the same species of cowrie as those

  4. Correct93% picked this

    They accepted as money only cowrie shells that were polished and carved by a neighboring people, and such shell preparation required

    Why this is right

    Answer D is correct.

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

  5. Trap4% picked this

    After Western traders brought money in the form of precious-metal coins to the Solomon Islands, cowrie-shell money continued to be used as one of

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