LSAT Explanation PT 36, S3, Q2: Several companies will soon offer personalized

LSAT Question Stem

Which one of the following, if true, most seriously weakens the argument? 

Logical Reasoning Question Type

This is a Weaken question. 

Correct Answer

The correct answer to this question is A. 

LSAT Question Complete Explanation

The passage presents an argument that personalized electronic news services, delivered via cable or telephone lines and displayed on a television, will lead to a drastic decline in newspaper sales if these services become widely available. The premise supporting this conclusion is that these electronic news services will provide people with the information they are looking for more quickly and efficiently than printed newspapers can.

The structure of the argument is as follows:

Premise: Electronic news services provide information more quickly and efficiently than newspapers.

Conclusion: Newspaper sales will decline drastically if electronic news services become widely available.

To better understand this argument, let's use a simple example. Imagine a person who loves reading about sports news. With electronic news services, they can quickly find and read the latest sports news, whereas with a printed newspaper, they would have to flip through the pages to find the sports section. This argument assumes that the faster access to specific news topics provided by electronic news services will be enough to cause people to stop buying newspapers.

An "Evaluate" question for this argument would be: "Do people only read newspapers for specific topics or do they also enjoy browsing through other sections?"

Now, let's discuss the answer choices and why A is the correct answer.

a) This answer choice weakens the argument by pointing out that people not only look for stories on specific topics when reading newspapers but also like to idly browse through headlines or pictures for amusing stories on unfamiliar or unusual topics. This suggests that electronic news services may not fully replace the experience of reading a printed newspaper, and therefore, newspaper sales might not decline as drastically as the argument suggests.

b) This answer choice discusses the varying costs of electronic news services depending on the range of topics they cover. However, it does not provide any information on how these costs compare to the cost of printed newspapers. Without knowing this comparison, we cannot determine whether the cost factor would lead to a decline in newspaper sales or not. Therefore, this answer choice does not weaken the argument.

c) This answer choice tells us that 30 percent of people have never relied on newspapers for information and instead have always relied on news programs broadcast on television and radio. This information is not relevant to the argument, as it does not address the impact of electronic news services on the remaining 70 percent of people who do rely on newspapers for information. Thus, this answer choice does not weaken the argument.

d) This answer choice states that the average monthly cost of subscribing to several channels on a personalized electronic news service will approximately equal the cost of a month's subscription to a newspaper. While this information provides a comparison between the costs of electronic news services and printed newspapers, it does not address the main premise of the argument, which is that electronic news services provide information more quickly and efficiently. Therefore, this answer choice does not weaken the argument.

e) This answer choice tells us that most people who subscribe to personalized electronic news services will not have to pay extra costs for installation since the services will use connections installed by cable and telephone companies. This information is not relevant to the argument, as it does not address the impact of electronic news services on newspaper sales. Thus, this answer choice does not weaken the argument.

In conclusion, the correct answer is A, as it weakens the argument by suggesting that electronic news services may not fully replace the experience of reading a printed newspaper, and therefore, newspaper sales might not decline as drastically as the argument suggests.