LSAT Explanation PT 27, S1, Q20: A poem is any work of

LSAT Question Stem

The statements above, if true, most strongly support which one of the following? 

Logical Reasoning Question Type

This is a Must Be True question. 

Correct Answer

The correct answer to this question is C. 

LSAT Question Complete Explanation

First, let's analyze the passage. It defines a poem as any work of art that exploits some of the musical characteristics of language, such as meter, rhythm, euphony, and rhyme. It then distinguishes a novel, a symphony, and a limerick from poems based on their respective characteristics. To simplify, consider this example: a poem is like a painting that uses specific colors (musical characteristics), while a novel is a painting without those colors, a symphony is a sculpture (different type of art), and a limerick is a drawing (not strictly art).

The question type is a Must Be True (MBT) question, which asks us to identify the statement that must be true based on the information provided in the passage. Let's evaluate each answer choice:

a) This answer choice suggests that if a creation is not a poem, novel, or symphony, then it is not a work of art. However, the passage does not provide enough information to make such a claim. It only defines what a poem is and distinguishes other forms of art.

b) This answer choice claims that blank verse, which does not rhyme, is not a poem. The passage defines a poem as exploiting some musical characteristics of language, not necessarily all of them. So, a poem without rhyme could still be a poem if it has other musical characteristics. This answer choice is not supported by the passage.

c) This answer choice states that if a novel exploits meter and rhyme while being a work of art, then it is both a novel and a poem. Based on the passage, a poem is a work of art that exploits musical characteristics of language. If a novel fulfills these conditions, it can also be considered a poem. This answer choice is supported by the passage and is the correct answer.

d) This answer choice suggests that limericks are a nonartistic type of poetry. However, the passage states that a limerick is not, strictly speaking, art. Since a poem is defined as a work of art, a limerick cannot be considered poetry based on the passage's definition. This answer choice is not supported by the passage.

e) This answer choice claims that if a symphony does not exploit the musical characteristics of sound, then it is not a work of art. The passage states that a symphony is a work of art that exploits the musical characteristics of sounds but does not provide information on what would happen if a symphony does not exploit these characteristics. This answer choice is not supported by the passage.

Based on the analysis, the correct answer is C.