PrepTest 110, Section 3, Question 2
To acquire a better understanding of the structure(13 more words not shown)
Each of the following, if(11 more words not shown)
- AThe actions of(20 more words not shown)
- BThe law forbids(9 more words not shown)
- CIt is generally(15 more words not shown)
- DProper understanding of(15 more words not shown)
- EField observations of(13 more words not shown)
Reading the argument
They study animals to learn about people. Does that work?
The passage hasn't told us. It gives us the psychologists' purpose, not evidence that they achieve it. Saying someone dances to make rain tells us why the person is dancing; it doesn't show that the dance brings rain. In the same way, these psychologists could have a sensible research method or a mistaken one. We only know what they're trying to do.
Now we're asked why they might use this method, with one exception. Four answers will give a reason to study animals to understand human personality. The credited answer will fail to supply that reason.
What we’re looking for
I'd expect useful explanations to connect the two: perhaps animal behavior reveals something about human behavior, or perhaps similarities between animals and people make the comparison helpful. Keep the goal in view as we read. We're trying to learn about humans.
Working the answers
- A
Similar instincts would give the psychologists a reason to use animals as a model. If those instincts are easier to recognize in animals, studying animals could help the researchers understand something that's harder to see in people. That explains the practice, so we eliminate A.
- B
This supplies a practical reason. Researchers may want to conduct experiments that they aren't allowed to perform on humans. Being allowed to perform them on animals helps explain the choice of subjects. B doesn't prove that every such experiment teaches us about human personality, but it contributes a reason for using animals.
- C
Cost can influence how researchers pursue their goals. If animal experiments are less expensive, a limited research budget gives psychologists a reason to choose them. Again, we don't need a complete defense of the research method. A fact that helps explain the practice is enough to eliminate an answer here.
- DCorrect
This goes in the wrong direction. It says understanding humans helps us understand animals. But the psychologists are studying animals because they want to understand humans. Learning about the animal is their method, not their ultimate goal. D explains a reason to use human personality as a model for animals; it doesn't explain the practice described.
- E
This directly connects animal observation to the human question. Watching young animals can inspire useful ideas about how human personality develops. That's a reason for the psychologists to study animals, making E one of the four answers we eliminate.
More Paradox questions
Learn the LSAT our way
Our platform drills Paradox questions at your level and adjusts as you improve.