The author would be most likely to agree with which one of the following statements about archaeological investigatio...

Irina on November 5, 2019

@mluna,

"Most Likely Agree" questions are a variation of a must be true question that usually require you to make an inference or combine statements/ ideas from the passage. It is rarely a direct quote or a restatement of a single sentence from the passage but rather a broader conclusion or inference.

Let me know if you have any other questions.

#JW on November 16, 2019

The word adequate in D took me down the path to the wrong answer.. I don't understand how on some of these questions we are to infer definitions... like what does adequate mean in this case? The archeological community knew that the IVC existed based on earlier excavations (although uninteresting) so to me thats adequate.. I mean this may sound absurd but some people would think eating a slice of bread and 8 ounces of water is an adequate diet.. but is it?

Also, credible conclusions? I did not select this answer choice because the last part of the passage was about how no conclusion could be made, only multiple theories surrounded around the environment, with respect to what caused the demise or disbursement of the IVC.

Thanks any help with this concept, as well as the specific break down of D and the correct answer would be awesome.

Skylar on December 2, 2019

@#JW, maybe I can help!

(B) is the correct answer as supported by the last paragraph of the passage. The word "credible"- which means "reasonable" or "plausible"- is valid in this context because of the significant amount of evidence that the last paragraph offers as support. You are correct that the first part of the last paragraph was about the lack of a consensus, but the second portion of that paragraph dismisses the long-standing massacre theory with lack of supporting evidence and then proceeds to use new evidence which "suggests that the Indus Valley people most likely relocated for catastrophic environmental reasons" (lines 50-51). It is important to remember that the question is asking what the author would most likely agree with, so that will be the correct answer even if it does not seem like the best answer to you. In other words, the correct answer will follow the author's bias.

(D) is incorrect because the relevant evidence did not exist for decades but was discovered instead through "recent excavations" (line 13). You are correct to be wary of subjective words like "adequate." In this case, the author may believe that if the evidence led to a misinterpretation (that the civilization was uninteresting), then it was not adequate. Therefore, we cannot say that (D) is correct.

In general, I think your thought process and caution to subjective terminology/inferring definitions is on the right track. Anything that requires a significant assumption to be drawn or outside knowledge to be incorporated is likely cause for concern. However, words like "credible" - which had some level of support in the passage and was to be interpreted in terms of the authors opinion - are safer bets. Doing more questions is the best and only real way to find this balance. The more you practice, the more you'll be able to familiarize yourself with how the LSAT uses ambiguous terminology.

Hope that helps! Best of luck with your studies and let us know if you have any additional questions.