Q2

[SecondWind180]

I got it correct, I just would like someone to please check my reasoning for elimination of the incorrect answers.

In real time, I narrowed this question down to B, C, and D.

Role of ¶3:

A) It doesn't "Pose a question"

B) I think the word "rebut" is appropriate. However "theory" is way too strong/extreme because it's only what the zoologists "suspected". Additionally, the zoologists were referring to the size of the population not "behavior" when they were making that statement in ¶2.

C) I like this answer because it uses the less strong word "assertion" and seems more fitting (especially compared to "theory"). I threw it out because when you put together "assertion that okapi are rare" it doesn't say the same thing as "zoologists suspected okapi are rare".

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Had a revelation at this point in writing my post
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D) Until I had my revelation, I didn't wholly fall in love with the word "explain". My revelation was noticing the keyword "reason" on line 27. Reasons seek to explain. Okapi "appeared" to be rare is more consistent with "zoologists suspected okapi are rare"

Here's my issue with this answer:

I know the purpose of a ¶ wholly depends on the previous and ensuing ¶s, so I had issue with pre-phrasing this answer on the basis of two things:

-The beginning of ¶3 is a continuation of the end of ¶2
-The beginning of ¶4 specifically signals that ¶3 is about okapi behavior as indicated by "other questions about okapi behavior arise"

So I guess my question is what role/how do these aspects affect the role of ¶3? How do they affect the answer to the question asked by the test writers? Because, I feel like, if I didn't read "other questions about okapi behavior arise" then I'd probably be completely sold on this answer.

Could other credited choices be:
"explains okapi behavior"
"explains how okapi forage"

E) 180; it doesn't support, it refutes. This answer is engineered for those people who read the first and last sentence of the ¶. Suckers.

[ohthatpatrick]

I agreed with most of what you wrote, but I'll try to tweak/expand on a few things.

First of all, for a "purpose of a paragraph" question, I definitely think about how the paragraph connects to the big picture. I definitely take note of any connective tissue it has with the preceding or proceeding paragraph.

But mostly, I just lean on the topic sentence of the paragraph (they tend to only ask this "purpose of a paragraph" question when the paragraph provides a nice transitional sentence that serves as support for the answer).

So looking at this third paragraph and seeing it begin "one reason for their seeming scarcity is ____". The next sentence begins "Another [reason] is ____".

I would think to myself, "okay, this paragraph is trying to give reasons for the seeming scarcity of okapis".

Scanning the answer for something that paraphrases "give reasons for the seeming scarcity of okapis" I would find (D) to be a strong match.

explain why = give reasons
okapis appeared to be rare = seeming scarcity of okapis

I'm a little concerned your making this question harder on yourself than it needs to be. If the paragraph has a transitional/topic sentence and the paragraph mainly falls under that umbrella, look for an answer choice that paraphrases that transitional/topic sentence.

Minor tweaks to things you said about (B) and (C):

You said that 'theory' is stronger than 'assertion'. That's incorrect. A theory is a guess, a speculation, a suspicion (don't think of it like The Theory of Relativity, a time-tested set of scientific laws .... think of it like "I have a theory why Sarah didn't come to my party ...")

So 'theory' actually is a better match for 'zoologists suspected' than 'assertion' is. Ultimately, it seems like you DID realize that 'assertion' is stronger than 'suspected'.

I would knock out (C) because the assertion/suspicion is already countered at the end of the 2nd paragraph. The final sentence there already tells us that okapis are not as rare as once suspected. So that's not gonna be the function of the 3rd P.

In terms of your other examples of possible correct answers:

Could other credited choices be:
"explains okapi behavior"
"explains how okapi forage"

They COULD be correct answers, in the sense that they are accurate. They aren't as good as (D) because your sample answers don't connect the relevance of the 3rd P to the 2nd P.

Beware - you seem to be assuming that a paragraph MUST have a function in relation to both of its bookends. Naturally, it has SOME relation, because they are all part of the same passage.

But don't force yourself to describe the function of a paragraph in relation to its bookends unless the text gives you reason to.

Here, the 3rd P really is a transition from the end of the 2nd P.

Meanwhile, the start of the 4th P to me signals a change from the 1st 3 P's. The first 3 P's all discussed what we NOW know about okapis, and I think the 4th P makes a break from all that by going into the lingering mysteries.

So trust your gut if you feel like the 4th P starts talking about something new; don't force yourself to connect the function of the 3rd to what's in the 4th in that case.

Nice work, though, and bonus style points on (E) and on knowing how to type that cool paragraph symbol.

[SecondWind180]

But mostly, I just lean on the topic sentence of the paragraph (they tend to only ask this "purpose of a paragraph" question when the paragraph provides a nice transitional sentence that serves as support for the answer).

Thanks this is helpful for not only this question type, but also on the first read-throughs of passages.

Minor tweaks to things you said about (B) and (C):

You said that 'theory' is stronger than 'assertion'. That's incorrect. A theory is a guess, a speculation, a suspicion (don't think of it like The Theory of Relativity, a time-tested set of scientific laws .... think of it like "I have a theory why Sarah didn't come to my party ...")

So 'theory' actually is a better match for 'zoologists suspected' than 'assertion' is. Ultimately, it seems like you DID realize that 'assertion' is stronger than 'suspected'.

THANK YOU for fixing this, I was pretty confident in my LSAT definitions of these words and wouldn't have caught it unless you pointed it out.

Nice work, though, and bonus style points on (E) and on knowing how to type that cool paragraph symbol.

Mac ¶: option + 7
PC ¶: alt + 20

Then just copy it once then paste each time you need it.

Lastly, thanks for answering!