LSAT and Law School Admissions Forum

Get expert LSAT preparation and law school admissions advice from PowerScore Test Preparation.

 Administrator
PowerScore Staff
  • PowerScore Staff
  • Posts: 8950
  • Joined: Feb 02, 2011
|
#35057
Complete Question Explanation

Resolve the Paradox. The correct answer choice is (C)

Your task in this Paradox question is to select the answer choice that provides an active resolution to
the apparent discrepancy presented in the stimulus.

This stimulus is quite generous, expressly stating the apparent paradox. Even though the area’s
strong ocean currents probably carry baby shrimp between the different reefs, which would allow for
the shrimp populations to interbreed and become genetically indistinguishable, the populations of a
shrimp species at eleven different coral reefs show substantial genetic differences from one reef to
another.

The correct answer choice will provide information that causes this surprising situation to occur, i.e.,
that causes the shrimp species to have substantial genetic differences despite the area’s strong ocean
currents. The incorrect answers will not provide an active resolution the apparent paradox, either
because they merely support one side, attack one side, or are irrelevant to the conclusion.

Answer choice (A): This information merely supports the fact that the shrimp populations are
genetically different, though their respective differences are less than between the shrimp and other
marine species.

Answer choice (B): This choice is irrelevant to the paradox, because it refers to individual shrimp
within a given population, while the paradox was concerned with genetic differences between shrimp
belonging to distinct coral reefs.

Answer choice (C): This is the correct answer choice. This choice helps to resolve the paradox
by showing that although the strong ocean currents may carry the baby shrimp between reef
populations, the shrimp return to the coral reef at which they were hatched before breeding. This
migration would reduce the possibility that the species would interbreed.

Answer choice (D): This choice merely supports the fact that the shrimp migrate from the reefs at
which they are hatched.

Answer choice (E): This choice attacks the idea the that currents carry the shrimp between the reefs,
stating instead that the shrimp are carried out into the open ocean.
 karlaurrea
  • Posts: 20
  • Joined: Aug 26, 2012
|
#6790
Hello,

I am having difficulty understanding why the correct answer choice, is the correct answer.

The way I am paraphrasing the question is by it saying: If the shrimp population shows substantial genetic difference from one reef to another it is perhaps due to the strong ocean currents that carry baby shrimp to different reefs, causing shrimps to interbreed with different shrimp species causing the genetic difference. -Thus; the answer choice I choose was D, because that would support the question, yet the correct answer talks about shrimps going back to their original place that they were hatched before breeding, and if they were to do that then genetic difference wouldn't happen.

Am I completely wrong? What exactly should I be looking at? Let me know!! Thanks!!
 Steve Stein
PowerScore Staff
  • PowerScore Staff
  • Posts: 1153
  • Joined: Apr 11, 2011
|
#6819
In that one, the shrimp from the various reefs all seem to have their own gene pools, separate from the other reefs. This is surprising, the author explains, because with currents you would normally expect more interbreeding, and thus less distinction between the shrimp at the various reefs.

Answer choice C provides that they all go back to their home reef to breed--this explains why each reef's shrimp population has remained distinct--different from that of the other reefs.

Answer choice D would not resolve the paradox, because if they all leave home and group together you would expect more interbreeding and less genetic distinction between the groups.

I hope that's helpful--let me know--thanks!

~Steve
 smile22
  • Posts: 135
  • Joined: Jan 05, 2014
|
#14695
I am requesting clarification for this question. I was torn between answers C and E and chose E. For E, does the term "many" make this answer incorrect? While "many" baby shrimp hatched at a reef are carried out into the ocean rather than another coral reef, "most" could still be carried to another coral reef, thus not resolving the paradox? Is the term "many" too broad of a term?

For answer C, the shrimp are carried to another reef; however, they aren't breeding there because they migrate back to where they were born. So, this would allow both sides of the situation to coexist- the shrimp being carried to other reefs and the lack of genetic similarities among shrimp at coral reefs (b/c they are not breeding there). Is my analysis correct?
 Emily Haney-Caron
PowerScore Staff
  • PowerScore Staff
  • Posts: 577
  • Joined: Jan 12, 2012
|
#14708
Hi Smile,

Great job breaking this down and figuring it out! Your analysis for answer C is spot on. You're also right about answer E; it doesn't actually address the stimulus, which indicates that they are carried from reef to reef, not out to the ocean, so the stimulus makes it clear that there are still baby shrimp being carried to another reef.
 smile22
  • Posts: 135
  • Joined: Jan 05, 2014
|
#14728
Thank you!
 rneuman123@gmail.com
  • Posts: 38
  • Joined: Aug 17, 2016
|
#28139
But what about answer b? I now see why c is correct, but I don't understand why b is wrong.
 Nikki Siclunov
PowerScore Staff
  • PowerScore Staff
  • Posts: 1362
  • Joined: Aug 02, 2011
|
#28176
Hi rneuman123@gmail.com,

Thanks for your question!

Answer choice (B) makes the situation even more confusing. The fact that the individual shrimp at any given coral reef differ from one another genetically does not explain why there are substantial genetic differences from one reef to another. For all we know, answer choice (B) describes another paradox - why are they different genetically, even though they interbreed? Moreover, answer choice (B) discusses genetic variation between individual shrimp, whereas the stimulus describes genetic variation between whole populations.

Hope this clears it up!

Thanks!
 rneuman123@gmail.com
  • Posts: 38
  • Joined: Aug 17, 2016
|
#28236
Thanks! I understand. I'm also trying to make sure that I don't ask any unnecessary questions (a product of mistrusting my own judgement). But this, I think, is a legitimate general question. When it comes to questions like #12, I find it very difficult to come up with a pre-phrase. So, in questions like these, is it okay to look through the answer choices, apply them, and find the correct answer that way?
 David Boyle
PowerScore Staff
  • PowerScore Staff
  • Posts: 836
  • Joined: Jun 07, 2013
|
#28245
rneuman123@gmail.com wrote:Thanks! I understand. I'm also trying to make sure that I don't ask any unnecessary questions (a product of mistrusting my own judgement). But this, I think, is a legitimate general question. When it comes to questions like #12, I find it very difficult to come up with a pre-phrase. So, in questions like these, is it okay to look through the answer choices, apply them, and find the correct answer that way?

Hello rneuman123@gmail.com,

That's a good question. Obviously, if you can't come up with a prephrase, then you can't come up with a prephrase, and you may have to go on to the answer choices. Always try to come up with some kind of prephrase, though, even if it's just a simple one. Prephrasing in this question, even a simple guess like, "Oh, maybe there's some other unknown factor which makes interbreeding unlikely", is better than having no clue what to look for at all.

Hope this helps,
David

Get the most out of your LSAT Prep Plus subscription.

Analyze and track your performance with our Testing and Analytics Package.