PrepTest 149

Incorrect. While the statement in question is a premise, it doesn't support that final sentence. First, that statement is a premise (introduced by "forÉ"). Second, that last sentence is about cold-blooded animals, and the statement in question doesn't inherently connect to those animals.

Correct. Argument or Facts:
Argument

Valid or Flawed:
Valid

Question Type:
Argument Structure

Stimulus Summary:
T, an ancestor of mammals, probably had whiskers.
Whiskers → Hair on other parts of body → Hair serves as insulation
Insulation not useful to cold-blooded animals
Therefore: T probably warm-blooded

Answer Anticipation:
That Therefore statement is the conclusion of the argument here—it's introduced by a conclusion indicator word, and it has support throughout the argument. Using that as a guide, we should start by asking if the statement in question supports that conclusion. Here, it does—since the last statement is a premise in support of the conclusion ("forÉ"), and it connects to that premise—both deal with hair serving as insulation. Since these two statements build on each other to support the conclusion, they're premises.

We can try to get more specific than that, but it can be hard to prephrase the specific way that the LSAT is going to present an answer in an Argument Structure question, so let's head into the answers and dive into any question that starts by establishing the question asks about a premise.

Answer Explanation:
This answer basically says, "It's a premise." Which it is.

Key Takeaway:
Anticipating the specific phrasing of Argument Structure answers can be difficult, as they'll sometimes place the statement in context, while others will be much more generic. As such, the best anticipations generally will identify with broad strokes and then allow time to analyze specific answers that fall into those broad strokes. When there's not a specific role you can anticipate, figure out whether the statement is a premise, intermediate conclusion, or main point, and whether it's part of the author's argument or an opposing point. Armed with that knowledge, you should be able to get through the question efficiently.

That said, there are also some common methods of reasoning that can highlight specific roles in these questions. For example, if a statement serves as an analogy, counter/example, or alternative cause, then prephrasing that will likely lead to the correct answer.

Incorrect. There's no support for the contention that animals with whiskers also have hair that serves as insulation, so it's a premise, not a conclusion.

Incorrect. Since the conclusion relies on insulation being a feature of warm-blooded animals, and this answer establishes that Ts had such insulation, it can't be a hypothesis the argument attempts to refute. In fact, there's no opposing point in this argument.

Incorrect. It's hard to imagine how something could explain a phenomenon in the conclusion without supporting the conclusion. However, that aside, as noted in the anticipation, it builds with the final clause in the argument to establish that Ts had something that would be of little use in cold-blooded animals, supporting the conclusion that they're warm-blooded. In fact, without that last statement, the statement in question wouldn't offer any explanation for the conclusion, since warm/cold-bloodedness wouldn't be connected to insulation.