Exam LSAT Section 1 Logical Reasoning topic 1 question 162 discussion

Actual exam question from Test Prep's LSAT Section 1 Logical Reasoning

Question #: 162
Topic #: 1

[All LSAT Section 1 Logical Reasoning Questions]

The folktale that claims that a rattlesnake's age can be determined from the number of sections in its rattle is false, but only because the rattles are brittle and sometimes partially or completely break off. So if they were not so brittle, one could reliably determine a rattlesnake's age simply from the number of sections in its rattle, because one new section is. formed each time a rattlesnake molts.
Which one of the following is an assumption the argument requires in order for its conclusion to be properly drawn?

A. Rattlesnakes molt exactly once a year.
B. The rattles of rattlesnakes of different species are identical in appearance.
C. Rattlesnakes molt more frequently when young than when old.
D. The brittleness of a rattlesnake's rattle is not, correlated with the length of the rattlesnake's life.
E. Rattlesnakes molt as often when food is scarce as they do when food is plentiful.

Show Suggested Answer

Suggested Answer: E 🗳️
More debunkingthis time of an old rattlesnake folktale. We cannot, in fact, tell the age of a rattlesnake by the number of its rattle sections, but only because these sometimes break off. The author concludes (note the Conclusion Keyword "so") that if these sections didn’t break off, we would be able to tell the age of a rattlesnake by counting its sections. This would certainly make sense if we knew the precise amount of time it takes a rattlesnake to form a new section, and this interval never changed. But notice that were told only that a new section appears every time a snake molts. How often is that? If its variable, then the authors claim is boguswe wouldnt be able to tell the age simply from the number of sections. In order for the claim in the last sentence to hold up, we need to know that the intervals at which rattlesnakes molt are consistent. Note that we dont need to know the exact time of the molting periodsonly that there is an exact timing for this and that it doesnt change. SoA.is a red herring whereas correct choice E. relates to the real issue at hand: If molting time is variable depending on food availability, then the whole theory goes out the window. The author must therefore assume that no such molting variations occur.

by [deleted] at March 9, 2025, 1:30 p.m.

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