PrepTest 117, Section 2, Question 10
Before their larvae hatch, each parental pair of(67 more words not shown)
Which one of the following,(15 more words not shown)
- ATwo beetles can(11 more words not shown)
- BBoth parents use(16 more words not shown)
- CBeetle parents usually(17 more words not shown)
- DAfter a week,(13 more words not shown)
- ETwo parents can(14 more words not shown)
Reading the argument
Two helpers sound better than one—unless the helpers are eating the food too.
Picture a small mouse buried for the beetle larvae. Both parents help feed the young from that carcass, and the entire supply is gone within a week. It's natural to expect the larvae to benefit from having both parents present. Yet removing one parent before hatching produces larger, heavier larvae.
What we’re looking for
Could the parents be taking some of the meat for themselves? Then a parent has two effects: helping feed the larvae and consuming food the larvae might otherwise receive. With one fewer adult eating, more of the limited supply could go to the young. That would explain the surprising result without denying that parents help with feeding. For the discrepancy question, that's my prediction: the parents also consume the carcass.
Working the answers
- A
Being able to provide a larger carcass points toward an advantage of having two parents. It doesn't explain why removing one produces larger larvae. Even if two beetles can obtain more food, we still need a reason losing one parent's help improves the young beetles' growth.
- BCorrect
Both parents eat from the carcass for as long as they remain with the larvae. Now the parents are consumers as well as providers. Removing one parent can leave more of that finite food supply for the larvae.
That extra food helps explain why the larvae grow larger and heavier even though they have one fewer helper. We don't need to deny the parents' contribution to feeding. We need to recognize the competing cost of their presence, which the initial expectation overlooked.
- C
Taking turns gives another reason two parents might be helpful: one can feed while the other rests. Removing a parent would remove that arrangement. C doesn't explain why the larvae nevertheless grow larger; it makes the expected benefit of two parents easier to understand.
- D
Being able to feed themselves after a week doesn't explain the difference between having one parent and having two. The larvae in both situations could gain that ability. We need something connected to removing a parent, not just a fact about what larvae can do later.
- E
Better defense of the carcass is another advantage of having two parents. It would help protect the food available to the larvae. That points toward the result we initially expected, not the surprising result we're asked to explain. B supplies the missing cost that can outweigh the benefit.
More Paradox questions
Learn the LSAT our way
Our platform drills Paradox questions at your level and adjusts as you improve.