Q14

[jklein1233]

Hi Atlas,

I'm having some trouble seeing why answer choice (A) isn't correct for this question. The question prompt says that the passage most strongly suggests that the fact that honeybees exist only to nurture relatives is X... I chose (A), "was not known to be true before the 1960s."

Line 20 says that the inclusive fitness theory (which was discovered after 1960) helps explain previously mysterious phenomina, including the evolution of social insect species like the honeybee, most of whose members exist only to nurture relatives. Given this rather direct information, how could we possibly conclude that this fact about honeybees was known to be true before the 1960s (which would need to be true in order for answer choice (A) to be logically eliminated)?

(E) is also a good answer choice but is far less conclusive given the information provided in the passage than (A).

Any help would be much appreciated.

Thanks,
Jonathan

[cyruswhittaker]

The "previously mysterious phenomena" is in explicit reference to the honeybees, of which exist only to nurture relatives.

This indicates that prior to the development of the inclusive-fitness theory in the 1960s, this was a mystery. But that means that it MUST have been known before the 1960s! Afterall, how could something be a mystery if it wasn't even known?

Perhaps you misread A as saying "was known..."

Likewise, E is strongly suggested because before the 1960s, with the advent of the inclusive theory, the traditional theory wasn't able to provide an explanation in order for it not to be a mystery. So basically, E is saying that the traditional theory didn't prove to be specific in this case, and it needed to be supplemented by additional theories.

[LSAT-Chang]

Is (D) wrong because lines 16-24 literally tell us that "natural selection similarly favors organisms that help their relatives..."??? so it's not calling into question the view that evoution proceeds by natural selection because it admits that it proceeds by natural selection -- right? Please correct me if I am wrong...

[ManhattanPrepLSAT1]

The fact that some honeybees exist only to nurture relatives cannot be explained by the traditional view of evolution which was all about passing on one's own genetic material. The inclusive fitness theory helps to explain it because the bees are supporting their relatives - which is one way according to this new theory that animals can pass on their genetic material. Since the traditional view would not account for this behavior, we would need to augment the traditional view with something in order for us to make sense of this behavior with the traditional view - best expressed in answer choice (E).

(A) implies that we discovered this behavior in the 1960's when it is only the case that we couldn't explain it entirely with the traditional view.
(B) sounds like a good way of doing things, but the inclusive fitness theory does not require reciprocating nurturing relationships.
(C) is too strong. The honeybees behavior can be explained by the inclusive fitness theory much better than the traditional view, but we do not know that the honeybees are the reason why biologists came to see the traditional view as inadequate.
(D) is not correct, since this is a behavior that is explained by the inclusive fitness theory, but does not challenge the view that evolution proceeds by natural selection.

Long story short So, you are correct, the new theory does not challenge the view that evolution proceeds by natural selection, and this is clear to see from the lines you reference (lines 16-24).

Hope that helps!

[LSATN100]

I was initially confused by D. The key to understanding what D is talking about is to understand the relationship between the following terms:
"the traditional view of evolution:" natural selection favors individual
"inclusive fitness theory:" natural selection favors individual+relatives
"natural selection:" NOT a parallel concept of the above two theories. It is a neutral word that is correct in both the traditional view and the inclusive fitness theory.
So no phenomenon can call into question the process of natural selection. The honeybee only weakens the traditional view.