Thanks for the question. Let's start by going through both of the passages.
Passage A begins by telling us that one function of language is to influence the behaviour of others and that perceiving someone else's mental state can be considered the most common vocalization stimulus in humans.
The passage then continues by contrasting animal vocalizations with those of humans. The author tells us that animal vocalizations may be able to alter the behaviour of others but that this communication is likely inadvertent as animals cannot attribute mental states to others. The passage provides us with two examples and then concludes that animal vocalizations which may have initially seemed goal-directed are likely not that purposeful.
Passage B tells us that many scientists distinguish animal communication systems from humans as the former are simply rigid responses to stimuli. The example provided to support this is that no animals can lie as lies require an intent to deceive.
After running through two philosophers' explanations of this, the passage concludes that their arguments are similar as they begin by ruling out conscious intention and then take its absence as evidence of the differences between animal and human communication systems. The passage ends by noting that recent research suggests that the differences between human and animal communication systems may not be so stark after all.
Answer choice (A) is incorrect because this question is only addressed by Passage B.
Answer choice (C) is incorrect because neither passage answers this question. We know that scientists consider animal vocalizations to be simple and rigid responses to stimuli, but neither passage elaborates on what sort of stimuli are most likely to elicit these vocalizations.
Answer choice (D) is incorrect because both passages compare the communication systems of nonhuman primates to humans but not to other animals.
Answer choice (E) is incorrect because Passage A does not address the views of the scientific community; its focus is simply to present research in support of its argument.
Finally, answer choice (B) is correct because both passages answer this question.
Passage A is focused on explaining that animal vocalizations are not as goal-directed as they appear as most animals cannot attribute mental states to others. Any appearance of conscious intention is suggested to be simply inadvertent.
Passage B is more clearly focused on answering this question, suggesting that, despite the views of many scientists and philosophers, recent research suggests that we can challenge the assumption that humans are the only species who can communicate with conscious intention.
Hope this is helpful! Please let us know if you have any further questions.
Paytonjdon July 10, 2023
Why aren't the explanations provided without us having to ask and wait for an answer? I thought explanations for the answer choices were a standard part of any LSAT course, especially the expensive ones
