LSAT Explanation PT 29, S4, Q4: Political opinion and analysis outside the

LSAT Question Stem

An assumption made in the explanation offered by the author of the passage is 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 analyze the argument in the passage. The passage states that political opinion and analysis outside the mainstream are rarely found on television talk shows, and it might be thought that this is due to the political agenda of the television stations themselves. However, the author argues that television stations are driven by economic forces to capture the largest possible share of the television audience for their shows. As a result, they air only those shows that will appeal to large numbers of people, leading to political opinions and analyses on television talk shows being typically bland and innocuous.

The structure of the argument is as follows:

1. Premise: Television stations are driven by economic forces to capture the largest possible share of the television audience.

2. Intermediate Conclusion: They air only those shows that will appeal to large numbers of people.

3. Main Conclusion: Political opinions and analyses on television talk shows are typically bland and innocuous.

An "Evaluate" question for this argument could be: "Do controversial and disturbing political opinions and analyses not appeal to large numbers of people?"

Now, let's move on to the question type and the answer choices. This is a Necessary Assumption question, which asks us to identify an assumption made in the explanation offered by the author of the passage.

a) The argument doesn't rely on an agreement among television viewers about which elements of a particular opinion or analysis are most disturbing. It focuses on the economic forces driving television stations to air shows that appeal to large numbers of people. This choice is not a necessary assumption.

b) Correct. The argument assumes that there are television viewers who might refuse to watch television talk shows that they knew would be controversial and disturbing. If this were not the case, and everyone was willing to watch such shows, then the economic forces driving television stations to air shows that appeal to large numbers of people wouldn't necessarily lead to airing only bland and innocuous political opinions and analyses.

c) While each television viewer may hold some opinion that is outside the political mainstream, this is not a necessary assumption for the argument. The argument focuses on the economic forces driving television stations to air shows that appeal to large numbers of people, not on the specific opinions held by each viewer.

d) The impact of economic forces on other television shows is not relevant to the argument, which focuses on television talk shows specifically. This choice is not a necessary assumption.

e) The similarity of television talk shows on different stations in most respects is not a necessary assumption for the argument. The argument is concerned with the economic forces driving television stations to air shows that appeal to large numbers of people, leading to bland and innocuous political opinions and analyses.

In conclusion, the correct answer is B, as it is a necessary assumption for the argument to hold. The other answer choices do not address the necessary assumptions needed for the argument to be valid.