#13 - Justify, Principle

[Jeremy Press]

Complete Question Explanation

The correct answer choice is E.

It's unlikely we'll have much success with prephrasing here. Any number of principles could "underlie" two different arguments, so we don't want to spend much time trying to predict what the test writers will zero in on for the correct answer choice. Rather, as you read each answer choice, ask the basic question whether the principle stated actually "underlies" both passages' arguments. A principle that refers to concepts an argument didn't discuss cannot "underlie" the argument. A principle that is too broad in its wording also will not "underlie" the argument in a passage. Finally, a principle that contradicts something in a passage cannot "underlie" the argument in that passage. All these will provide convenient ways to sort incorrect answers into the "Loser" column, as we read through.

Answer choice (A): Neither of the passages takes into account the "behavior of nonhuman animals." Thus the principle stated in answer choice A would contradict each of the passages, and the answer choice must be incorrect.

Answer choice (B): Answer choice B's reference to "all human capacities" is too broad to "underlie" either one of the passages. The only human capacities the passages raise are music and language (Passage A) and premusical behaviors between mothers and infants (Passage B). Neither passage makes any broader statements that would imply they're extending their arguments to other human capacities as well (certainly not "all" of them). Thus answer choice B is incorrect.

Answer choice (C): The principle in answer choice C arguably underlies the argument in passage A (see lines 6-8, and 19-21). But since passage B does not discuss whether or why music and language evolved "concurrently," the principle in answer choice C cannot "underlie" passage B's argument, and the answer choice is therefore incorrect.

Answer choice (D): It's possible that the principle in answer choice D underlies a portion of the argument in passage B (see lines 59-61). But since passage A does not discuss the "essence" of any particular behavior, the principle in answer choice D cannot "underlie" passage A's argument, and the answer choice is therefore incorrect.

Answer choice (E): This is the correct answer choice. Passage A uses the behavior of modern-day humans as evidence of the evolutionary origins of an ability, when it states in lines 22-24 that "the primacy of language over music that we can observe today suggests that language, not music, was the primary function natural selection operated on." Passage B uses the behavior of modern-day humans as evidence of the evolutionary origins of an ability, when it states in lines 35-37 that "it is in the emotional bonds created by the interaction of mother and child that we can discover the evolutionary origins of human music," and then goes on to refer to the evidence of those emotional bonds that we learn from present-day research (lines 41-46).

[saranash1]

13. I don't understand why this couldn't be D as well?

[Steve Stein]

Hi,

Thanks for your question; it would be helpful to know how you approached this one--for example, why do you think that answer choice D provides an equally good underlying principle?

Let me know--thanks!

~Steve

[saranash1]

It seems that lines 6-8 in passage 1 and lines 59-61 in passage two support the principal that D: the discovery of the neurological basis of human behavior constitues the discovery of the essence of that behavior.

[Steve Stein]

Thanks for your response. Take another look at answer choice E: Both authors certainly consider modern-day behavior as they assess human evolution.

As for whether the discovery of the neurological basis of a behavior means that you understand the essence of that behavior, Author A, for example, does not claim to understand the essence of any particular behavior.

I hope that's helpful!

~Steve

[sanderina]

Can someone please explain to me why E is a correct answer? I don't see where authors discussed the relationship between modern-day humans as evidence (Element A) and evolutionary origins of human abilities (Element B). I see authors mentioned both Element A and B in both passages, but why the two can be related as stated in choice E?

[Adam Tyson]

In both passages, sanderina, the authors used evidence from modern human behavior to explore the evolutionary origins of certain behaviors.

Author A used evidence about modern humans being generally better at language than music to support the claim that "language, not music, was the primary function natural selection operated on".

Author B made a more powerful argument based on modern human behavior, as his entire passage was devoted to suggesting that musical ability has evolutionary value. He looked at modern human behavior between mothers and infants and concluded that musical ability helped form a bond that was valuable. See the last few lines of that passage:

the emotional bonds created in the premusical mother-infant interactions we observe in Homo sapiens today--behavior whose neurological basis essentially constitutes the capacity to make and enjoy music--would have conferred considerable evolutionary advantage.

So both authors used evidence of modern behaviors - our facility with language as compared to music, and the ways in which mothers and infants bond - to draw conclusions about the origins of those behaviors.

Another reason to pick answer E is because it is better than any of the other answers, and we are always tasked with selecting the best answer. Since you recognized that both authors mentioned both elements in this answer choice, that should at least make it a contender. Once you realize that none of the other answers makes sense, what's left, even if you don't entirely get it, must be correct! Don't focus too much energy on proving an answer choice to be correct or even good. Instead, focus on demonstrating why it is better than the other four.

[lanereuden]

B seems pretty okay here too if it were not for the extreme language of "all." Am I right?

(For the sake of convenience, B reads: All human capacities can be explained in terms of the evolutionary advantages they offer.)

I mean, what would B have to read out to be correct?

[Jeremy Press]

Hi Lane,

You're absolutely right that the "all" is too broad a notion to be a principle underlying both passages (which is what the stem calls for)! The only capacities the passages raise are music and language (Passage A) and premusical behaviors between mothers and infants (Passage B). Neither passage makes any broader statements that would imply they're extending their arguments to other human capacities as well (certainly not "all" of them).

I have one more quibble with answer choice B, and that's the use of "evolutionary advantages," which is not the subject of Passage A. Passage A is solely concerned with evolutionary origins. "Advantages" are perhaps implied in line 24 with the passing reference to "natural selection," but that's not enough of a hook to read the broad principle stated in answer choice B as underlying the "argument" in the passage. Because of this issue, answer choice B cannot be tweaked in its writing to make it acceptable: it would have to be rewritten to say something else entirely.

I hope this helps!

Jeremy

[sdb606]

I have an LSAT language question. I did not pick E because I interpreted " the evolutionary origins of human abilities" to mean " the evolutionary origins of [ALL] human abilities" so I eliminated this answer as too strong. When the language doesn't specify SOME or ALL, is the default SOME or ALL?