LSAT Explanation PT 34, S3, Q26: The media now devote more coverage

LSAT Question Stem

The proposition that the public is now more interested in reading and hearing about crime plays which one of the following roles in the argument? 

Logical Reasoning Question Type

This is an Argument Part question. 

Correct Answer

The correct answer to this question is E. 

LSAT Question Complete Explanation

Let's begin by analyzing the argument in the passage. The passage states that the media now devotes more coverage to crime than they did ten years ago. However, this is not because the crime rate has increased, but rather because the public is now more interested in reading and hearing about crime. The passage then provides a premise that a crucial factor in the media's decisions about what issues to cover and to what extent to cover them is the interests of their audiences. In this argument, the conclusion is that the media devotes more coverage to crime because the public is more interested in reading and hearing about crime.

Now, let's identify the question type and what it's asking us to do. This is an Argument Part question, which asks us to determine the role of a specific proposition in the argument. In this case, we need to identify the role of the proposition that the public is now more interested in reading and hearing about crime.

Let's discuss each answer choice in detail:

a) It supports the conclusion that the media now devote more coverage to crime than the crime rate alone justifies.

This answer choice is incorrect because the passage does not discuss the justification of the media's coverage of crime based on the crime rate. The focus of the argument is on the public's interest in reading and hearing about crime, not on the crime rate justifying the media's coverage.

b) It is presented as evidence that the media decide what to cover and to what extent to cover it depending on the interests of the public.

This answer choice is also incorrect. While it might seem attractive, the proposition that the public is now more interested in crime is not used as evidence for the claim that the media decides what to cover based on public interest. Instead, it is framed as a better explanation for the increased media coverage of crime than the crime rate.

c) It is a counterexample to the claim that the media devote more coverage to crime now than they did ten years ago.

This answer choice is incorrect because the proposition is not a counterexample to the claim. In fact, it is offered as an explanation for the increased media coverage of crime, not as evidence against it.

d) It is a generalization based on the claim that the crime rate has increased over the past ten years.

This answer choice is incorrect because the passage does not claim that the crime rate has increased over the past ten years. The passage only states that the media coverage of crime has increased, and the proposition is offered as an explanation for this increase.

e) It is offered as an alternative explanation of why the media devote more coverage to crime now than they did ten years ago.

This is the correct answer choice. The proposition that the public is now more interested in reading and hearing about crime is offered as an alternative explanation for the increased media coverage of crime, as opposed to the crime rate being the cause.

In conclusion, the correct answer is E, as it accurately describes the role of the proposition in the argument. The passage offers the public's increased interest in crime as an alternative explanation for the increased media coverage of crime, rather than the crime rate being the cause.