LSAT Explanation PT 24, S3, Q13: Health officials claim that because the

LSAT Question Stem

The claim by health officials depends on the presupposition that 

Logical Reasoning Question Type

This is a Necessary Assumption question. 

Correct Answer

The correct answer to this question is B. 

LSAT Question Complete Explanation

Let's first break down the argument in the passage. The passage states that health officials claim that watching television has a bad influence on the dietary habits of television viewers because the foods and beverages mentioned or consumed on many television programs are extremely low in nutritional value. This is the conclusion of the argument. The premise is that the foods and beverages mentioned or consumed on television programs are low in nutritional value.

Now, let's consider an "Evaluate" question for this argument: "Does watching television programs featuring low-nutritional-value foods and beverages actually influence the dietary habits of viewers?"

The question type of this problem is Necessary Assumption, which means we are looking for an answer choice that the argument depends on or assumes to be true.

Let's go through the answer choices:

a) The argument doesn't assume that people on television programs are designed to mirror the eating and drinking habits of television viewers. Instead, the argument is about the influence of television programs on viewers' dietary habits.

b) This answer choice states that seeing some foods and beverages being consumed on, or hearing them mentioned on, television programs increases the likelihood that viewers will consume similar kinds of foods and beverages. This is a necessary assumption for the argument because if this is not true, then watching television wouldn't have a bad influence on viewers' dietary habits. This is the correct answer.

c) The argument doesn't assume anything about the food and beverage industry financing television programs or the advertising of new products. This answer choice is not relevant to the argument.

d) The argument doesn't assume that television viewers are only interested in people on television programs who have the same eating and drinking habits as they do. This answer choice is not necessary for the argument.

e) The argument doesn't assume that the eating and drinking habits of people on television programs provide health officials with accurate predictions about the foods and beverages that will become popular among television viewers. The argument is about the influence of television programs on viewers' dietary habits, not about predicting which foods and beverages will become popular.

In conclusion, the correct answer is B, as it is the necessary assumption that the argument depends on. If seeing low-nutritional-value foods and beverages on television programs does not increase the likelihood that viewers will consume similar kinds of foods and beverages, then the argument's conclusion that watching television has a bad influence on viewers' dietary habits would not hold.