#26 - Specific Reference, Must Be True

[Administrator]

Please post your questions below! Thank you!

[rmal91]

Hi. Could you indicate me where is answer choice D referenced in the passage?

[momgoingbacktoschool]

Hi. Could you indicate me where is answer choice D referenced in the passage?

Hi! I was just reviewing this question too and saw where they got the answer. I'll paste two quotations from the second paragraph.

"Subsequent population variation in the extent and timing of dental reduction is broadly explicable by regional variation in the times when improvements in cooking technology were adopted."

and

"If so, the decrease in tooth and jaw size that started around 100,000 years ago may prove to result from later modifications in cooking technique, such as the adoption of boiling."

[miriamson07]

I agree that answer choice D is the correct one here, since it has the most support out of the answer choices given. However, I feel like it's a bit of a stretch to say that "later modifications" is equivalent to "changed and improved." How do we know for certain that the author thinks adaptation of boiling is an improvement? What if the author isn't a fan of boiling?

My question here is, is it safe to say that sometimes, the correct answer to an LSAT question can feel like a bit of a stretch? Thank you!

[Luke Haqq]

Hi miriamson07!

To your second question, yes, there are some questions that may feel like a stretch but do ultimately fit the parameters at hand. For example, on a must be true question, there may be things that the test taker has to begrudgingly concede have to be true based on the stimulus or passage.

To your first question, I'd look to the sentence around lines 35 to 38. We're told there that "Subsequent population variation in the extent and timing of dental reduction is broadly explicable by regional variation in the times when improvements in cooking technology were adopted." So that helps us reach the conclusion that the author sees these changes over time as improvements.

[miriamson07]

Hi miriamson07!

To your second question, yes, there are some questions that may feel like a stretch but do ultimately fit the parameters at hand. For example, on a must be true question, there may be things that the test taker has to begrudgingly concede have to be true based on the stimulus or passage.

To your first question, I'd look to the sentence around lines 35 to 38. We're told there that "Subsequent population variation in the extent and timing of dental reduction is broadly explicable by regional variation in the times when improvements in cooking technology were adopted." So that helps us reach the conclusion that the author sees these changes over time as improvements.

Hi Luke,

I see how this makes sense now. Thank you!