PrepTest 148

Incorrect. This answer could potentially provide an explanation if the park weren't on an island, thus making it difficult for other predators to "move in" without being moved there, as the wolves were.

Incorrect. While this answer aligns with the unexpected outcome, it doesn't explain why or how it happened.

Correct. Argument or Facts:
Facts

Question Type:
Paradox

Stimulus Summary:
Goal Ð Control the wild moose population
Approach Ð Introduce a predator (wolves)
Outcome Ð The wolves prospered, but the moose population grew

Answer Anticipation:
When a predator is introduced, you would expect the prey species populations to decline (or at least slow down their growth). Here, however, that wasn't the case. Wolves were introduced to an island (might be important to an answer—it wasn't a place where animals could just come and go), and the moose population continued to grow. Additionally, the wolves prospered, telling us that they were finding sufficient prey to hunt.

So we need to find an answer that explains how a prey species continued to thrive while a predator species was, as well. If you have a specific anticipation, that's great, but there are probably quite a few potential answers here, so we should head in staying flexible.

Answer Explanation:
If the wolves are culling the sick from the herd and preventing the spread of illnesses, then the other moose would be expected to be healthier. This answer provides an explanation for how wolves could hunt the moose while helping that population, so it's the correct answer here.

Key Takeaway:
You'll often find that the answer choices have several that seem to "build" off of each other. The LSAT does this to see if they can trap you into picking an answer that relies on an earlier one being true to be correct. Be sure that your analysis of the answers only brings in information presented in the stimulus, not the other answer choices.

Incorrect. This answer doesn't address why a predator species wouldn't slow down the growth of a herd that it's hunting. It feels as if they were trying to get you to bring information from the prior answer choice into this one in analyzing it—be sure you don't do that!

Incorrect. Moose too old to breed wouldn't contribute to population growth. Additionally, by stating they're "just as likely" to die from natural causes and wolf attacks, this answer suggests that the death rate among these moose should have increased with the introduction of the wolf pack, making the paradox worse.