Logical reasoning PrepTest 107 · Section 1 · Question 25

Question prompt

The indigenous people of Remaining source text redacted.
Why the credited answer is right

Credited answer: B

The notes below walk through why it fits the stem and how to eliminate the rest.

Argument or Facts

Facts

Valid or Flawed

NA

Question Type

Bizarro / Paradox Questions

Stimulus Summary

Indigenous Tasmanians are related to indigenous Australians
10,000 years ago - Land bridge between two disappears, separating them
8,000 years ago - Australians had technologies the Tasmanians didn’t (dogs, nets, tools, hunting implements)

Answer Anticipation

As with all Paradox questions, we should start by clearly defining the paradox in this question. Specifically here, the question stem notes that we’re attempting to explain differences noted in the stimulus. We should also make sure that we lay out the timeline, as timelines are almost always important on the LSAT.
Here, we have two groups that are related - the indigenous Tasmanians and indigenous Australians. They could travel between the two locations until 10,000 years ago, when the land bridge connecting the areas disappeared. 2,000 years later, we see the differences that the question stem is asking about - the Austrailians had technologies that the Tasmanians didn’t.
We need to find answers that explain those differences. Normally, we’d anticipate an answer or two, but in a Bizarrow question, we’ll almost certainly miss a couple answers if we do so, so it’s usually better to head straight to the answer choices. That said, if you thought maybe the Australians developed the technology in the 2,000 years after the land bridge disappeared, or maybe Tasmania lacked the materials required for the noted technologies, then you’d be in good shape to analyze the answer.

Answer choices

  1. A
    After the disappearance of Remaining source text redacted.
    Why choice A is not credited
    This answer explains the differences by saying that the Tasmanians abandoned technologies, so we can eliminate this answer.
  2. B
    Devices such as the Remaining source text redacted.
    Why choice B matches the stem
    If the Tasmanians developed certain technologies more than 10,000 years ago, it’s weird that they then didn’t have those technologies 8,000 years ago - what happened? This answer makes the discrepancy worse by eliminating a few potential explanations for the differences, so it’s the correct answer in this Bizarro question.
  3. C
    Technological innovations such as Remaining source text redacted.
    Why choice C is not credited
    If the technologies noted were brought to Australia more recently than the land bridge disappeared, then it makes sense that they weren’t found in Tasmania.
  4. D
    Indigenous people of Australia Remaining source text redacted.
    Why choice D is not credited
    If the technologies were developed in Australia after the land bridge disappeared, then it makes sense that they didn’t make it to Tasmania.
  5. E
    Although the technological and Remaining source text redacted.
    Why choice E is not credited
    If the technologies were developed in a part of Australia that didn’t have contact with the Tasmanians ahead of the land bridge disappearing, then it makes sense that the technologies didn’t make it to Tasmania.

What this tests

Question analytics

Based on historical answer selection rates for this question.

Answer choice distribution

  1. A 12%
  2. B Credited 73%
  3. C 5%
  4. D 5%
  5. E 4%

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