LSAT Explanation PT 19, S4, Q6: Videocassette recorders (VCRs) enable people to

LSAT Question Stem

The argument is most vulnerable to criticism on the grounds that it 

Logical Reasoning Question Type

This is a Flaw question. 

Correct Answer

The correct answer to this question is C. 

LSAT Question Complete Explanation

First, let's analyze the argument in the passage. The passage states that people who own videocassette recorders (VCRs) go to movie theaters more often than those who do not own VCRs. The author concludes that owning a VCR actually stimulates people to go to movie theaters more often than they otherwise would. In this argument, the premise is that people who own VCRs go to movie theaters more often, and the conclusion is that owning a VCR stimulates people to go to movie theaters more often.

To make this more understandable, let's use a simple example. Suppose we have data showing that people who own bicycles ride public transportation more often than those who do not own bicycles. We cannot simply conclude that owning a bicycle causes people to ride public transportation more often. There might be other factors at play, such as people who own bicycles living in areas with better public transportation options.

An "Evaluate" question for this argument would be: "Is there any other factor that could explain the correlation between owning a VCR and going to movie theaters more often?"

Now, let's discuss the question type and answer choices. This is a Flaw question, which asks us to identify the flaw in the argument.

a) This answer choice is incorrect because the argument does not conclude that a claim must be false due to the absence of evidence. Instead, the argument is based on a correlation between owning a VCR and going to movie theaters more often.

b) This answer choice is also incorrect because the evidence cited in the argument (that people who own VCRs go to movie theaters more often) is not inconsistent with any other information provided in the passage.

c) This is the correct answer choice. The argument fails to establish that the correlation between owning a VCR and going to movie theaters more often is not due to some other factor. As mentioned earlier, there could be other factors at play, such as people who own VCRs having a greater interest in movies, which leads them to both own a VCR and go to movie theaters more often.

d) This answer choice is incorrect because the argument does not take a condition that guarantees the occurrence of a certain phenomenon and claim that it must be met for that phenomenon to occur. The argument is based on a correlation, not a guarantee.

e) This answer choice is incorrect because the argument is not basing a broad claim about the behavior of people in general on a comparison between two small groups of people. The argument is based on a correlation between owning a VCR and going to movie theaters more often, not on a comparison between small groups of people.