"DNA fingerprinting" is a recently introduced biochemical procedure that uses a pattern derived from a person's genet...
SarahAMarch 7, 2019
Outdated Science
Ooooh I've been waiting for a question like this! This one got me super heated! lol. I left this question blank and refused to answer it because the science that serves as the foundation for this question is woefully outdated. I realize that the question itself is nearly 30 years old and we have come a long way since then with regard to DNA evidence. But being that scientists can now pinpoint DNA down to the individual (with the exception of identical twins) and scientists believe that they will be able to identify DNA samples between identical twins within the next few years, none of the choices A-E would cast doubt on the claim of the proponents of DNA fingerprinting. (C) is a fragile choice at best.
Im wondering...how could we update answer choice (C) to make it a viable answer choice?
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@msaber Ha! Yes, this question does seem outdated.
But your comment raises an important point about the exam — it is crucial that you don’t attempt to insert real-world knowledge into the question in your efforts to answer it.
Instead, the LSAT is a self-contained world that contains many arguments which are (sometimes intentionally) outdated or just plain wrong.
In the context of this question, you may be entirely correct that scientists can now pinpoint DNA down to the individual. But notice that the question simply asks which answer, IF TRUE, casts the most doubt ON THE CLAIM of the passage?
That claim is that: the high odds of obtaining a match by chance are “based on an assumption that there is independence between the different characteristics represented by a single pattern.â€
Answer C, if true, casts doubt on that claim, as it weakens the assumption that there is independence between characteristics, because that answer tells us that in different subgroups of the population there are certain sets of shared genetic characteristics.
That may be entirely false in reality, but if we take it to be true, it casts the doubt on the claim as described in the passage! So on the real test, please don’t skip the question!
SarahAMarch 7, 2019
@Jacob-R, you're an angel! Your replies are always so great.
Thank you for being the voice of reason.
RaviMarch 12, 2019
@msaber, happy to hear you're enjoying @Jacob-R's responses! Keep up the great work and active participation on the boards, and let us know any other questions you have!
