LSAT Explanation PT 22, S2, Q17: Wild cheetahs live in the African

LSAT Question Stem

The statements above, if true, most strongly support which one of the following conclusions? 

Logical Reasoning Question Type

This is a Must Be True question. 

Correct Answer

The correct answer to this question is D. 

LSAT Question Complete Explanation

Let's first analyze the passage. It tells us that wild cheetahs live in the African grasslands, and that previous estimates of the wild cheetah population size needed for them to survive a natural disaster were too small. The current population barely meets these previous estimates. However, there isn't enough African grassland to support a wild cheetah population larger than the current one.

Think of it like this: imagine a group of people living on an island. The island can only support a certain number of people, and the current number of people living there is barely enough to survive a natural disaster. If a disaster were to happen, the chances of survival would be slim.

Now, let's move on to the question. This is a Must Be True (MBT) question, which means we need to find the answer choice that is most strongly supported by the information provided in the passage.

a) Previous estimates of the size of the existing wild cheetah population were inaccurate.

- This answer choice is incorrect because the passage discusses the size of the population needed for survival, not the size of the existing population.

b) The cheetah's natural habitat is decreasing in size at a faster rate than is the size of the wild cheetah population.

- The passage does not provide information about the rate of habitat reduction, so we cannot conclude this.

c) The principal threat to the endangered wild cheetah population is neither pollution nor hunting, but a natural disaster.

- This answer choice is incorrect because the passage does not discuss which threat is the principal one. We only know that natural disasters are a concern.

d) In the short term, the wild cheetah population will be incapable of surviving a natural disaster in the African grasslands.

- This answer choice is correct because it combines the information from the passage: the current population is barely enough to survive a natural disaster, and there isn't enough grassland to support a larger population. This means that if a natural disaster were to happen in the short term, the cheetahs would likely not survive.

e) In regions where land is suitable for cheetah habitation, more natural disasters are expected to occur during the next decade than occurred during the past decade.

- The passage does not provide any information about the expected frequency of natural disasters, so we cannot conclude this.

Thus, the correct answer is D.