Passage - General Questions

[Administrator]

Passage Discussion

VIEWSTAMP Analysis:

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

[blade21cn]

What does the word "resolve" mean, as in line 34: "When a predator is sighted, the school compacts, so that a predator's senses may be unable to RESOLVE individuals, or so that the school can execute escape maneuvers, such as freezing to foil predators that hunt by detecting turbulence"? Thanks!

[blade21cn]

Sorry, I posted the previous question without doing the questions and just found out that I cannot delete my own posts. Since there's a specific question (substitution) about the word "resolve," dictionary definition is irrelevant.

[Adam Tyson]

No need to delete, blade! Getting words in context is an important skill on the LSAT, and you shouldn't have to rely on a specific question to do that work. If you come across a word in context that seems unfamiliar, what can you do to suss out its meaning?

Let's look at the line where the author uses that word:

When a predator is sighted, the school compacts, so that a predator’s senses may be unable to resolve individuals,

The school compacts, which means the fish all get close to each other. They crowd together. So what would that do to a predator? Maybe make it seem like they are all just one big giant blob?

Think about how that word is used in other contexts with which you are familiar. Maybe you have discussed the resolution of the camera built into your cell phone, or the resolution of a TV screen, either of which might be discussed in terms of the number of pixels and having something to do with picture clarity? So perhaps "resolve" means something similar here - the predator can't get a clear picture of any individuals because the school just looks like a big blob, and maybe it looks like one giant fish?

With the context, and some outside context, you may be able to see that this has something to do with clarity. Individuals may not be clearly distinguishable from the group.

Glad you figured it out with the later question, but tackling these issues head on with context cues is also a valuable skill! Other questions might require you to understand that without giving you those kinds of word substitution choices to help. Never wait for the answers to assist you; do the work up front, and be ready to prephrase the answers to questions like that one!