LSAT－6－2－12

swimmingfrog

12.(B)   By dating fossils of pollen and beetles, which returned after an Ice Age glacier left an area, it is possible to establish an approximate date when a warmer climate developed. In one glacial area, it appears from the insect record that a warm climate developed immediately after the melting of the glacier. From the pollen record, however, it appears that the warm climate did not develop until long after the glacier disappeared.

Each one of the following, if true, helps to explain the apparent discrepancy EXCEPT:

(A) Cold-weather beetle fossils can be mistaken for those of beetles that live in warm climates.

(B) Warm-weather plants cannot establish themselves as quickly as can beetles in a new environment.

(C) Beetles can survive in a relatively barren postglacial area by scavenging.

(D) Since planes spread unevenly in a new climate, researchers can mistake gaps in the pollen record as evidence of no new overall growth.（E）

(E) Beetles are among the oldest insect species and are much older then many warm-weather plants.

I don’t understand the passage. E says beetles are older than plants, which means beetles appeared earlier than plants, didn’t’ they?  then E actually explains beetles fossils indicate warm climate immediately after the disappear of the glacier.

I can’t figure out where I am wrong

hedonism555

the word " many" appears not logically strict enough. What about other warm weather plants whose initial appearance remains either possibly older or younger than bettles?

swimmingfrog

But I think "whether other warm weather plants whose initial appearance remains either possibly older or younger than bettles" doesn't matter.

After all , the comparison  of simulus is between bettles fossiles and pollen fossiles. I don't understand why E explains the apparent discrepancy, which is those two fossiles can't be consistent about the issue--whether the warm climate developed immediately after the melting of the glacier or the warm climate developed long after the glacier disappeared.

lawyer_1

原文说的是From the pollen record，所以E说的warm-weather plants可能不包括pollen，如果这样就解释不了原文的矛盾。

swimmingfrog

如果按照lawyer说的，E说的warm-weather plants可能不包括pollen，如果这样就解释不了原文的矛盾。

那B Warm-weather plants cannot establish themselves as quickly as can beetles in a new environment，也没包括pollen，也应该解释不了什么问题吧？

dalunzi

这题要解释这样一个矛盾：昆虫化石显示冰川期一过，暖天气就来了；而植物花粉化石显示冰川期过了很久才变暖。A 虫化石弄错了（可以解释）B 植物本来就要比虫在新环境中适应的晚，即冰川后虫先活跃，过了很久植物才活跃，所以植物花粉化石比虫晚（可以解释）C虫没死，冰川期也留下了化石，所以早于植物 D花粉化石出错（和A一样，可以解释） 反正这种解释矛盾的题，矛盾方有一方有错肯定可以解释 E虫比植物老，最多只能表明最老的虫化石早于最老的花粉化石，不能解释冰川后为什么虫化石早于植物化石，因为本题矛盾中两种化石已经存在了，不是最老的化石之间比较。

lawyer_1

sorry， 我没说清楚。B是指所有Warm-weather plants ，当然包括POLLEN。但E是指MANY，可能不包括。

swimmingfrog

我比较倾向于dalunzi的解释，但是 (C) Beetles can survive in a relatively barren postglacial area by scavenging. 我的理解是虫子可以通过scavenging(净化，清除？)生存在贫瘠的冰河期以后。

谢谢各位！

dalunzi

by scavenging这里是指“吃腐肉”，重点是survive。

xjlv128

我也觉得E属于无关选项