Q24 - Many Seychelles warblers of breeding

[ManhattanPrepLSAT1]

We’re trying to explain why these warblers who engaged in cooperative breeding back on their much smaller home island continued to engage in cooperative breeding once they were transplanted to a much larger island. Well, one thing that would explain this is that the new island while large, had very little territory suitable for nesting. So, let’s say 80% of the small island was suitable for nesting and only 10% of the large island was suitable for nesting. Then the amount of land suitable for nesting could be the same or less on the large on island as it was on the small island. This would explain why they continued to engage in cooperative breeding. The numbers are extreme but they demonstrate the point. This possibility is expressed in answer choice (C).

(A) would not explain why most warblers who were transplanted continued cooperative breeding.
(B) is irrelevant. We’re looking for a reason why they continued cooperative breeding. This answer choice just says that the climate was similar. That’s good, but without further information relating climate with breeding patterns, it’s not enough.
(C) is the correct answer.
(D) is irrelevant in that it discusses cooperative breeding in species other than the Seychelles warbler .
(E) makes things more confusing. If they had fewer competitors for nesting sites, then why didn’t they abandon cooperative breeding adopt a more traditional breeding pattern.

[mrudula_2005]

We’re trying to explain why these warblers who engaged in cooperative breeding back on their much smaller home island continued to engage in cooperative breeding once they were transplanted to a much larger island. Well, one thing that would explain this is that the new island while large, had very little territory suitable for nesting. So, let’s say 80% of the small island was suitable for nesting and only 10% of the large island was suitable for nesting. Then the amount of land suitable for nesting could be the same or less on the large on island as it was on the small island. This would explain why they continued to engage in cooperative breeding. The numbers are extreme but they demonstrate the point. This possibility is expressed in answer choice (C).

(A) would not explain why most warblers who were transplanted continued cooperative breeding.
(B) is irrelevant. We’re looking for a reason why they continued cooperative breeding. This answer choice just says that the climate was similar. That’s good, but without further information relating climate with breeding patterns, it’s not enough.
(C) is the correct answer.
(D) is irrelevant in that it discusses cooperative breeding in species other than the Seychelles warbler .
(E) makes things more confusing. If they had fewer competitors for nesting sites, then why didn’t they abandon cooperative breeding adopt a more traditional breeding pattern.

I don't get why A is wrong - if many of the warblers that were transplanted had not yet reached breeding age, does it not make perfect sense that the majority of warblers on the new island engaged in cooperate breeding, then? they can't breed themselves so why not engage in cooperative breeding...

[ManhattanPrepLSAT1]

Be careful with your interpretation of the stimulus. Remember that cooperative breeding is the name given for the fact that some warblers of breeding age forgo breeding, remaining instead with their parents and helping to raise their own siblings.

So the fact that answer choice (A) is talking about warblers that have not reached breeding age is irrelevant to the argument about those who are of breeding age and yet forgo breeding themselves.

Does that make sense?

[mrudula_2005]

Be careful with your interpretation of the stimulus. Remember that cooperative breeding is the name given for the fact that some warblers of breeding age forgo breeding, remaining instead with their parents and helping to raise their own siblings.

So the fact that answer choice (A) is talking about warblers that have not reached breeding age is irrelevant to the argument about those who are of breeding age and yet forgo breeding themselves.

Does that make sense?

ahh, i get it now. thanks a ton!

[imasexybastard]

Be careful with your interpretation of the stimulus. Remember that cooperative breeding is the name given for the fact that some warblers of breeding age forgo breeding, remaining instead with their parents and helping to raise their own siblings.

So the fact that answer choice (A) is talking about warblers that have not reached breeding age is irrelevant to the argument about those who are of breeding age and yet forgo breeding themselves.

Does that make sense?

Could A also be wrong because of the "many" doesn't explain the "most" in the stimulus.

[ManhattanPrepLSAT1]

Not necessarily. There are times when knowing something about what many warblers would do could HELP explain what most warblers would do. It's definitely not enough to prove anything, but on these questions that ask you to explain something strange you do not need to prove anything. You simply need to provide information that helps to shed light on the situation.

That said, the word "many" is a bit weak and while not enough to dismiss the answer choice outright, could be considered a point against the answer choice. It's one more reason not to like answer choice (A)...

[LSAT-Chang]

Hey Matt,
Quick question on this one.
I can see that answer choice (C) can be proven from the stimulus since we have evidence for why these warblers engage in cooperative breeding (due to scarcity of nesting territory), and it basically gives evidence why these transplanted warblers engaged in the same action. But normally with these questions, are answer choices not one of those "out of scope" seeming answers? Can it be proven using the stimulus? I think I've encountered answer choices where it seemed like way out of scope and something totally new that couldn't be inferred from the stimulus, but it was the correct answer since it provided a reason why the conclusion happened. But I feel like with this one, it is in the stimulus -- so was just curious how normally you would approach these ones: whether you should be prepared to come across correct answer choices that seem way out of scope like totally new info, or something that can be proven from the stimulus. These seem like an easy type of Qs, but some of them are just really tricky!