LSAT Explanation PT 30, S2, Q24: Tony: A new kind of videocassette

LSAT Question Stem

Which one of the following, if true, would contribute most to a defense of Tony's position against Anna's reply? 

Logical Reasoning Question Type

This is a Strengthen question. 

Correct Answer

The correct answer to this question is C. 

LSAT Question Complete Explanation

Let's first summarize and analyze the argument in the passage. Tony argues that video rental stores would find it more economical to purchase and stock movies recorded on the new kind of videocassette, which lasts for half as many viewings as the old kind but costs a third as much. This is his conclusion. Anna counters this argument by stating that the videocassette itself only accounts for 5% of the price a video rental store pays to buy a copy of a movie; most of the price consists of royalties the store pays to the studio that produced the movie. This is her premise. Anna's conclusion is that the price decrease would be considerably less than 5%, and royalties would have to be paid on additional copies.

To make this more understandable for the average layperson, let's use a simple analogy. Imagine you run a bakery and you find a new kind of flour that costs a third as much as your current flour but only lasts half as long. However, the cost of the flour is only 5% of the total cost of making a loaf of bread, with most of the cost coming from other ingredients and labor. In this case, the savings from using the new flour might not be as significant as you initially thought.

An "Evaluate" question for this argument could be: "Would the royalty fees for the new kind of videocassette be the same or different compared to the old kind?"

Now, let's discuss the answer choices for this Strengthen question, which asks us to contribute most to a defense of Tony's position against Anna's reply.

a) The price that video rental stores pay for movies recorded on videocassettes is considerably less than the retail price of those movies.

This answer choice is irrelevant to the argument about the cost savings from using the new kind of videocassette. It doesn't provide any information about the royalty fees or the overall cost of stocking the new videocassettes.

b) A significant proportion of the movies on videocassette purchased by video rental stores are bought as replacements for worn-out copies of movies the stores already have in stock.

This answer choice might seem tempting, but it doesn't address the issue of royalty fees. We cannot assume that the stores wouldn't have to pay additional royalty fees for replacement copies, as the passage doesn't provide information on that.

c) The royalty fee included in the price that video rental stores pay for movies on the new kind of videocassette will be half that included in the price of movies on the old kind.

This is the correct answer. By stating that the royalty fee for the new kind of videocassette will be half of the old kind, it weakens Anna's argument and supports Tony's position. If the royalty fees are lower for the new kind of videocassette, the overall cost savings from using the new kind would be more significant than Anna suggests.

d) Given a choice, customers are more likely to buy a movie on videocassette than to rent it if the rental fee is more than half of the purchase price.

This answer choice is irrelevant, as it doesn't address the cost savings for video rental stores from using the new kind of videocassette. It focuses on customer behavior rather than the cost of stocking movies.

e) Many of the movies rented from video rental stores, particularly children's movies, average several viewings per rental fee.

This answer choice might seem relevant, but it doesn't directly address the issue of royalty fees or the overall cost of stocking the new videocassettes. It only provides information about how often movies are rented, which doesn't help defend Tony's position against Anna's reply.