LSAT Explanation PT 32, S4, Q19: Editorial: Medical schools spend one hour

LSAT Question Stem

Which one of the following is an assumption on which the editorial's argument depends? 

Logical Reasoning Question Type

This is a Necessary Assumption question. 

Correct Answer

The correct answer to this question is E. 

LSAT Question Complete Explanation

First, let's analyze the argument in the passage. The editorial states that medical schools spend one hour teaching preventive medicine for every ten hours spent teaching curative medicine. It also mentions that doctors' use of preventive medicine techniques greatly reduces medical costs. The conclusion is that if medical schools' goal is to make medicine more cost-effective, they spend insufficient time teaching preventive medicine.

Now, let's create an "Evaluate" question for this argument: "How much time is required to teach preventive medicine thoroughly to achieve cost-effectiveness?"

The question type for this problem is Necessary Assumption, which asks us to identify an assumption on which the editorial's argument depends.

Let's go through each answer choice:

a) This answer choice talks about the initial cost of technologies used in preventive medicine compared to curative medicine. However, the passage already states that preventive medicine cuts down medical costs greatly. The cost of technology is not relevant to the argument, so this answer choice is incorrect.

b) This answer choice suggests that every hour spent teaching preventive medicine reduces medical costs by 10 percent or more. While this might strengthen the argument, it is not a necessary assumption for the argument to hold. The argument can still be valid even if the reduction in medical costs is less than 10 percent per hour. Therefore, this answer choice is incorrect.

c) This answer choice discusses whether medical schools could increase their total number of teaching hours. However, the argument is about the proportion of time spent teaching preventive medicine compared to curative medicine, not the total number of teaching hours. This answer choice is not a necessary assumption for the argument, so it is incorrect.

d) This answer choice states that improvements in doctors' use of curative medicine techniques would only increase overall medical costs. However, the argument is about the benefits of teaching preventive medicine, not the potential drawbacks of improving curative medicine techniques. This answer choice does not address the core of the argument and is therefore incorrect.

e) This answer choice suggests that the time required to teach preventive medicine thoroughly is greater than one hour for every ten that are now spent teaching curative medicine. This assumption is necessary for the argument because if the current time spent teaching preventive medicine is sufficient, then the conclusion that more time should be spent on it would not hold. Therefore, this answer choice is correct.

In conclusion, the correct answer to this Necessary Assumption question is answer choice E.