Q18 - Field studies, which have

[ManhattanPrepLSAT1]

Question Type
ID the Conclusion

Stimulus
To identify the conclusion of this argument it's helpful to recognize that the word "however" represents a pivot in the argument away from an opposing point and towards the author's point. At the pivot the author states the argument's conclusion and then goes on to offer qualified evidence. The word "although" qualifies the support for the argument's main point.

Anticipate
The usefulness of field studies tends to be overrated by anthropologists.

Correct Answer
(A) paraphrases the author's main point.

Incorrect Answers
(B) neither supports nor undermines the author's position.

(C) represents the opposing point.

(D) represents the qualification of the argument's support.

(E) paraphrases the support for the argument's conclusion.

#officialexplanation

[HannahS74]

I thought answer choice D was wrong because it restated the premise. Can you explain what the explanation means by D being wrong because it "represents the qualification of the argument's support?"

Thanks!

[ohthatpatrick]

Whenever you see claims structured like this ...
Although _____ , _______
Despite the fact that _____ , ______
While it is true that _____ , ______
Granted ______ , but ______

.... the first half is always a concession / a counterpoint / a qualification.
The second half is the author's main thrust.

If I say,
Although too much vitamin C can hurt your body, vitamin C is generally very good for you.

My main thrust was "vitamin C is good for you".
My slight caveat / qualification / counterpoint / concession was, "of course, it CAN become toxic if you take too much of it".

Your reason for getting rid of (D) is fine in the simple sense that all we need to do with these answers is say "It was the conclusion" / "It wasn't the conclusion".

But qualifying a claim basically means conceding some exception or counterpoint.

CONC: usefulness of field studies tends to be overrated by anthro's
EVID: anthro's underestimate how much living within the community (field studies) actually affects the community

The author is conceding, "YES, anthro's are AWARE that living in the community has SOME effect, but .... [main thrust] they don't realize how BIG of an effect it really has."