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- Mon Feb 13, 2017 1:44 pm
#32711
Complete Question Explanation
(See the complete passage discussion here: lsat/viewtopic.php?t=12412)
The correct answer choice is (E)
This question requires that you understand the author’s perspective regarding the front-to-back explanation, which, the author specifies, “is quite successful at explaining what a mirror does—to a point.” The author’s viewpoint can be further gleaned from the last paragraph of the passage, in which the author provides that a motivation of this explanation is the scientist’s inclination to explain phenomena without reference to the observer. The author is apparently unconvinced, though, as reflected in the term “However,” followed by the objection that the appearance of images can only be properly explained by considering both what they do, and what happens from the point of view of the observer.
Answer choice (A): The author discusses the incongruity between our perceptions of objects in a mirror and reality, but the author does not say that the reconciliation of this incongruity is a reason that the explanation is successful; rather, as discussed above, the author believes this explanation to be successful only to a point.
Answer choice (B): In the third paragraph the author does discuss the fact that we are accustomed to dealing with our mental constructs. The front-to-back explanation does not reject any consideration of mental constructs, so this choice fails the Fact Test and should be eliminated.
Answer choice (C): The left-to-right explanation, presented in the first paragraph of the passage, deals with our standard rotation of our field of sight around a vertical axis, but this does not apply to the front-to-back explanation, so this choice should be ruled out of contention in response to this Must Be True question.
Answer choice (D): Many test takers found this to be an appealing choice, because it starts in the right direction; as discussed, the author does believe that the front-to-back explanation is only successful to a point, but not because of consistency with traditional physicist explanations. The author believes that the explanation is only successful to a point because the observer must be considered in any proper explanation of what mirrors do.
Answer choice (E): This is the correct answer choice. As prephrased above, the author believes this explanation to be successful only to a point because, as the author states at the conclusion of the passage, “If we remove the observer from consideration, we are no longer addressing images and appearances, because an image entails an observer and a point of view.”
(See the complete passage discussion here: lsat/viewtopic.php?t=12412)
The correct answer choice is (E)
This question requires that you understand the author’s perspective regarding the front-to-back explanation, which, the author specifies, “is quite successful at explaining what a mirror does—to a point.” The author’s viewpoint can be further gleaned from the last paragraph of the passage, in which the author provides that a motivation of this explanation is the scientist’s inclination to explain phenomena without reference to the observer. The author is apparently unconvinced, though, as reflected in the term “However,” followed by the objection that the appearance of images can only be properly explained by considering both what they do, and what happens from the point of view of the observer.
Answer choice (A): The author discusses the incongruity between our perceptions of objects in a mirror and reality, but the author does not say that the reconciliation of this incongruity is a reason that the explanation is successful; rather, as discussed above, the author believes this explanation to be successful only to a point.
Answer choice (B): In the third paragraph the author does discuss the fact that we are accustomed to dealing with our mental constructs. The front-to-back explanation does not reject any consideration of mental constructs, so this choice fails the Fact Test and should be eliminated.
Answer choice (C): The left-to-right explanation, presented in the first paragraph of the passage, deals with our standard rotation of our field of sight around a vertical axis, but this does not apply to the front-to-back explanation, so this choice should be ruled out of contention in response to this Must Be True question.
Answer choice (D): Many test takers found this to be an appealing choice, because it starts in the right direction; as discussed, the author does believe that the front-to-back explanation is only successful to a point, but not because of consistency with traditional physicist explanations. The author believes that the explanation is only successful to a point because the observer must be considered in any proper explanation of what mirrors do.
Answer choice (E): This is the correct answer choice. As prephrased above, the author believes this explanation to be successful only to a point because, as the author states at the conclusion of the passage, “If we remove the observer from consideration, we are no longer addressing images and appearances, because an image entails an observer and a point of view.”