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LSAT Preptest 152, Section 2, Question 13

"Shelton: The recent sharp decline in…"

Explanation

The apparent conflict between Russo and Shelton's is caused by the expectation that a parasite would not discriminate between the moose in one region and the moose in another region. If the cause of the decline is the parasite, then Russo's premise that the deer population had no effect on the moose population creates a conflict.

A. Does not resolve the conflict as it doesn’t address the causal relationship between deer population increase and moose population decline. 


B. Does not directly resolve the conflict as it focuses on the quality of the moose habitat, not the impact of deer population on moose. 


C. Does not provide a direct resolution to the discrepancy in moose population trends between the two regions. 


D. (Correct Response) This option would resolve the conflict by suggesting that the moose in Shelton's region are more likely to encounter deer and thus the parasite due to greater range overlap, an issue not present in the neighboring region according to Russo. 


E. Does not directly address the specific relationship between deer population increase and moose population decline regarding the parasite issue.

The conflicting observations by Shelton and Russo can be reconciled by option D, which suggests that the physical ranges of moose and deer in the two regions are a significant factor. If in Shelton's region there is a large overlap, the moose are more likely to encounter deer and their parasites, potentially leading to the moose population decline. Conversely, Russo's observation of a stable moose population despite a deer increase suggests a lack of significant range overlap, preventing the parasite transfer from deer to moose.

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