#13- Some paleontologists believe that certain species of

[brcibake]

Hello,
I don't see why E was the correct answer. I thought A was a good answer. reading the answer choices, I thought this was a weak answer because it was not very specific.

[Adam Tyson]

Fill in the blank questions like this one are usually (not always) in the Must Be True category, brcibake, and that means strong answers like A will require strong evidence in the stimulus before you should consider them as contenders. Remember the Fact Test - you cannot select an answer to a Must Be True question that does not follow directly from the facts given in the stimulus.

We know from the stimulus that the paleontologists' argument has lost some strength due to the crocodile example, but can we go so far as to say that they have no evidence at all? The nests could still be evidence, albeit less convincing in light of the example given. They could have other evidence that wasn't mentioned in the stimulus. Where is the evidence in the stimulus that they have absolutely no evidence of any kind or any weight to support their belief?

Your dislike of answer E because it is a "weak" answer is exactly why I like it and why you should select it. I would use different language, though - I would call it "easily defended". That's the kind of answer you want on Must Be True questions, and when you are trying to fill in a blank based solely on what came before, with no new information allowed, you should choose something sufficiently narrow that the facts of the stimulus alone are enough to support it. A good prephrase here would have been "those paleontologists might be wrong" or "their argument based on the nests is not very convincing."

Weak answers to MBT questions, as well as Assumption questions, are typically good things, while strong answers with powerful language tend to be reserved for weaken, strengthen, and justify questions. Don't be afraid to be weak!

[lsat1391]

Can anyone explain why C and D can be eliminated? I think C can be eliminated because there's no way for us to tell if its true or not. I am not sure why I would want to eliminate D.

[Luke Haqq]

Hi lsat1391,

This question is asking for what “logically completes the argument”—in other words, the main point of the argument.

Breaking down the structure sentence-by-sentence, this argument unfolds in the following way: (1) paleontologists make a claim (2) they present evidence for their claim (3) information is presented that calls their evidence into question.

It might be the case that (C) is true—but as you correctly point out, there’s no way to know that it’s true from what we’re given, so it can’t be the main point.

Answer (D) is incorrect because it’s making a comparison between hadrosaurs and “other dinosaurs,” which isn’t a comparison made in the argument. The argument talks about “certain species of dinosaurs,” and then specifies hadrosaurs as an example. A comparison is then made between hadrosaurs and crocodiles. Since the argument doesn’t mention “other dinosaurs,” (D) couldn’t capture the main point.

Hope that helps!