#15 - M: It is almost impossible to find a person between

[Administrator]

Complete Question Explanation

Cannot Be True. The correct answer choice is (A)

This stimulus provides a dialogue between M and Q. M points out that there are not many left-handed people who have survived to 85-90 years of age (the implication being that something causes the left-handed to die sooner). Q responds with an alternative explanation: back when 85 year olds were children, left-handedness was discouraged.

The challenging question stem basically asks what Q is arguing against—it is M’s possibly implied assertion that there is something causing the left-handed to die sooner.

Only correct answer choice (A) reflects the argument that Q is pro-actively disputing with an alternative cause. Q is arguing against the implication that the left-handed have some sort of disadvantage causing them not to survive as long.

[obs23]

***The content of this question has been removed due to LSAC copyright restrictions; please reference PT 5, LR Sec. 1, Question # 15 for full question***

First of all, I just wanted to know what type of question would that be?
And secondly, apparently and having looked at it several times, I do not even understand what this question is asking

the argument itself is not difficult but the question seems to be spinned way out of my reach, what difficulty level would it be?

Thanks for help.

[Nikki Siclunov]

I know, this is a really twisted way of asking a rather simple question (rest assured, however, that they never repeated this phrasing).

Let's examine the relationship between M's and Q's statements: M presents evidence suggesting that almost no one between the ages of 85 and 90 is left-handed. Q presents a possible explanation: seventy to ninety years ago, children were punished for using their left hands. Thus, the relationship between the two statements is causal:

Q: Cause

Children punished for using left hand back in the day

M: Effect

No old people who are left-handed alive today

Essentially, the question is asking the following: given Q's response to M, what sort of conclusion is M not allowed to make? In other words, this is a Cannot Be True question: if Q is correct in her explanation for the evidence cited by M, which of the following cannot be true? Since Q supplies a possible cause for the evidence cited by M, this cause (if true) precludes the possibility of an alternate cause explaining that evidence.

Your job, therefore, is to identify an answer choice describing an alternate cause for the fact that it is almost impossible to find a person between the ages of 85 and 90 who primarily uses the left hand. Answer choice (A) does the trick: if right-handedness confers a survival advantage, that could explain why almost all old people are right-handed. Answer choice (A) therefore provides an alternate cause for the evidence cited by M - something that Q's response to M directly contradicts.

The same answer choice would be correct if we replaced the question stem with this:

• If Q's explanation for the evidence cited by M is correct, which one of the following cannot be true?

Hope this helps!

[kky215]

Hi, I have a question for PT 5 S1 LR Q15

The question wording is a bit weird as well, but I am assuming that it is a variant of the "point at issue" question type where you have to apply the agree or disagree test.

Initially, I selected answer C, which is incorrect.
I was able to successfully eliminate B and E, but I can't seem to understand how A could be the answer.

How can the phrase "survival advantage" come into play? Such concept was never discussed in the original stimulus -- to me, answer choice C seems to be a more reasonable one although it too discusses a somewhat irrelevant concept with the word "harmless".

Can anyone please walk me through this question in detail?
Any help will be appreciated.

Thanks a lot in advance!!!

[Steve Stein]

Hi kky215,

That's a tough question--after you've read this explanation, please let me know whether it makes more sense.

M points out that you seldom see an old person who is left-handed--in other words, most people who make it to old age are right handed (tough to say why, at this point, but what we know about this group of people is that they are old--why do right handed people seem more likely to live into old age?)

Q says true, there are fewer old left-handed people, but that is because people used to be punished for favoring their left hand--so the reason is not that right-handed people are simply more likely to live into old age, but rather that left-handedness used to be strongly dissuaded. It's not just naturally advantageous to be right-handed, in other words, but rather that right-handedness has been fostered in people of that age.

I hope that's helpful! Please let me know whether this is clear--thanks!

~Steve

[kky215]

Thank you! Your explanation definitely helped!

I think one of the primary reasons that I got the question wrong was because there was "however" in Q's response -- so when I first read the question, I immediately assumed that Q was raising an objection to M, but in essence the two are saying the same conclusion -- that it is hard to find any old people who primarily use their left hands.

Again, thanks for the response
What a tricky question this is.

[Steve Stein]

Hi,

Thanks for your response--this is a tricky one indeed, because Q is preemptively responding to an argument that M might make:

M: Not too many old lefties around.

Q: However (in case you were implying that righties somehow live longer), keep in mind that being left handed used to be heavily dissuaded (and that's the real reason that most older people are right-handed).

This is an impressive question, because understanding the stimulus can be challenging, and even the question takes a bit of effort to navigate.

I hope that's helpful!

~Steve

[obs23]

Thanks a lot, very helpful! I can see it better now, they do ask questions in a strange way to this day...it looks like this is one of the points, unfortunately for us.

[prep88]

Hello,

I don't understand why the question stem says Q counters M, since M's assertion is purely factual, and how does the author assess that M tinks everyone left handed died? M could simply have no opinion about why elderly are predomnantly right handed?

Thanks,

[Andrew Ash]

Hi Prep,

This is a really unusual question stem, which I think is the cause of your confusion. You're correct that M and Q are both making purely factual statements. Here's how I would rephrase the question stem so that it makes more sense: "Which one of the following, if M made it his conclusion, would be weakened by Q's response?" And answer choice (A) provides us with what we need, like so:

M: It is almost impossible to find a person between the ages of 85 and 90 who primarily uses the left hand. Clearly, being born right-handed confers a survival advantage.

Q: Seventy to ninety years ago, however, children were punished for using their left hands to eat or to write and were forced to use their right hands.

I wouldn't worry too much about this question stem, as I've never seen one like it outside of this question. But if another one like it does show up, now you'll be prepared for it!

Best,
Andrew