#23 - A group of scientists studying calcium metabolism in

[Administrator]

Complete Question Explanation

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

Answer choice (A): This is the correct answer choice.

Answer choice (B):

Answer choice (C):

Answer choice (D):

Answer choice (E):

This explanation is still in progress. Please post any questions below!

[GLMDYP]

Hi!
For this question, I found both (A) and (C) equally right. Am I missing something?
Thanks!

[David Boyle]

Hi!
For this question, I found both (A) and (C) equally right. Am I missing something?
Thanks!

Hello,

A makes sense, in that when the adrenal is gone, there's not much calcium missing after that. So it makes sense to say the adrenal removes calcium.
As for C: that might be a mixed-up answer, sort of like a shell game or something. When the parathyroid's removed, a lot of calcium disappears too. So it looks like maybe the parathyroid *inhibits* the adrenal's tendency to remove calcium. But C says, "The absence of a parathyroid gland causes the adrenal gland to increase the level of calcium in the blood", which is not exactly the same thing as saying that the parathyroid prevents the adrenal from eliminating too much calcium. (Remember, some calcium seems to disappear in either case; so how could you say the adrenal *increases* the calcium level?)

David

[LSAT2018]

Would this be right? Without the parathyroid gland less calcium is present and with the parathyroid gland more calcium is present and without the adrenal gland, more calcium is present and with the adrenal gland, less calcium is present. That is why when both glands were removed, they tended to balance each other out?

Can I get an explanation of why the other answer choices were incorrect?


Thanks in advance!

[Daniel Stern]

Hi 2018:

I think your analysis is correct about the roles each gland is playing.

A, the credited response, is right because it clearly states that the adrenal gland removes calcium.

B is incorrect because B has both glands playing the same role, whereas, as you correctly pointed out, the two glands actually play opposite roles in regulating the calcium levels.

C is incorrect because it incorrectly states that the adrenal gland increases the calcium level after the parathyroid is removed, whereas the stimulus told us that removing both glands caused the calcium level to fall less sharply if the adrenal gland were also removed.

D and E do not actually resolve our paradox at all, that removing the two glands causes less of a decrease in the level of calcium than removing the parathyroid only.

Good luck in your studies,
Dan Stern

[stevendoering]

The phenomena in question are as follows:
1:P is removed= much less calcium
2.(P AND A) are removed= slightly less calcium

(not true to word descriptions, but they helped me visualize it)

The question: why did also removing A mean less calcium loss?

C was initially my answer but upon second read is not anywhere near what we need to answer the above question. A. however is. Sometimes the answer is really obvious, don't necessarily cross out an AC because it sounds seems like a freebie.

[KelseyWoods]

Hi Steven!

Good job analyzing the question! Often, when we see an answer choice that might look like a "freebie" or an answer choice that's so obvious that it has to be a trap, it's actually just that we have successfully analyzed the stimulus and prephrased the answer choice. It might seem obvious to someone who has been studying for the LSAT for awhile and knows how the test works, but that doesn't mean it's obvious to everyone else. So don't second guess yourself because an answer seems too "easy"--that often just means you're getting more fluent at the test and have taken the time to prephrase accurately!

Hope this helps!

Best,
Kelsey