Logical reasoning PrepTest 147 · Section 1 · Question 9

Incorrect. This answer is the opposing explanation, not the main point.

Correct. Argument or Facts:
Argument

Valid or Flawed:
Flawed

Question Type:
Main Point

Stimulus Summary:
Phenomenon Ð Small humanoid skeletons found on an Indonesian island
Explanation 1 Ð Those humans had a growth disorder
Rebuttal to Explanation 1 Ð The skeletons don't match known growth disorders
Explanation 2 Ð Those humans were a distinct species that evolved to be smaller
Evidence for explanation 2 Ð Other animals shrank over time

Answer Anticipation:
The stimulus here very much falls into the phenomenon/explanation structure that we've seen time and time again on the LSAT. When that happens, the correct answer is generally the explanation favored by the author.

Here, that "more likely" explanation is that the skeletons are the remains of a human species that evolved to be smaller over time. This explanation is backed up by the rest of the stimulus, and explanations that have support are most certainly conclusions.

The correct answer, therefore, should restate that explanation—the small skeletons are from a distinct human species that evolved over time to be smaller.

Answer Explanation:
This answer highlights the explanation that the author finds "more likely" and backs up with reasoning, making it the main point of the argument.

Key Takeaway:
Phenomenon/Explanation passages generally have the author's preferred explanation as the main point.

Incorrect. This is a fact that the argument uses to rebut the opposing explanation.

Incorrect. This is used to back up the explanation that the same happened to this human species—and so that is the main point, not this information.

Incorrect. This answer is a principle that the argument relies on being true, but it's not stated and so it almost certainly isn't the main point.