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Difficulty: EasyInferences from the Text

Unlike tropical shallow-water corals, which depend on symbiotic photosynthetic algae for nourishment and thus require sunlight, deep-sea corals inhabit cold, dark waters hundreds of meters below the surface. Because sunlight cannot penetrate to these depths, deep-sea corals rely entirely on capturing organic particles and microscopic organisms carried by ocean currents. Consequently, these cold-water reefs flourish primarily along continental slopes, seamounts, and ridges where underwater currents are consistently strong enough to transport a steady supply of suspended food.

Which of the following can be most reasonably inferred from the passage about deep-sea corals?

  1. A
    Deep-sea corals grow at a substantially faster rate than shallow-water corals because of the continuous movement of ocean currents.
  2. Deep-sea corals do not depend on photosynthetic algae to fulfill their nutritional needs.Answer
  3. C
    Deep-sea coral reefs are found exclusively in areas of the ocean where underwater currents are weak or stagnant.
  4. D
    Deep-sea corals migrate periodically to shallow waters when deep-sea current flows decline.
  5. E
    Deep-sea corals synthesize their own nutrients when ocean currents fail to deliver suspended food particles.

Answer

Deep-sea corals do not depend on photosynthetic algae to fulfill their nutritional needs.
The passage explicitly contrasts shallow-water corals, which depend on photosynthetic algae requiring sunlight, with deep-sea corals, which live where sunlight cannot penetrate and rely entirely on capturing food particles from currents. Thus, it must be true that deep-sea corals do not rely on photosynthetic algae for nourishment.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Analyze the passage statements regarding nourishment mechanisms.
The passage states that shallow-water corals require symbiotic photosynthetic algae and sunlight for food, whereas deep-sea corals live where sunlight cannot penetrate and rely entirely on capturing particles carried by currents.
Establishing the explicit distinction between shallow-water and deep-sea coral feeding mechanisms provides the textual foundation for valid inferences.
2
Synthesize the facts to deduce what must be true about deep-sea coral nutrition.
Since photosynthesis requires sunlight, which is absent at great depths, and deep-sea corals rely entirely on food delivered by currents, they do not rely on photosynthetic algae for nutrition.
A valid inference on the LSAT must follow necessarily from combining stated facts without introducing ungrounded assumptions.
3
Evaluate the choices to eliminate unsupported assertions, contradictions, and speculative claims.
The statement specifying that deep-sea corals do not depend on photosynthetic algae directly reflects the passage's premises, while all other options introduce unsupported comparisons, contradictions, or unmentioned behaviors.
Elimination of choices containing unwarranted logical leaps confirms the singular valid inference.

Key Concept

Textual Inference and Scope Verification
Estimated Time:1m 0s
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Topics

Inferences from the Text

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