LSAT Explanation PT 36, S3, Q22: The retail price of decaffeinated coffee

LSAT Question Stem

The argument relies on assuming which one of the following? 

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 argument structure is as follows:

Premise: The retail price of decaffeinated coffee is considerably higher than that of regular coffee.

Premise: The process by which coffee beans are decaffeinated is fairly simple and not very costly.

Conclusion: Therefore, the price difference cannot be accounted for by the greater cost of providing decaffeinated coffee to the consumer.

The question type for this problem is Necessary Assumption, which means we need to identify the assumption that the argument relies on for its conclusion to be valid.

An "Evaluate" question for this argument could be: "Are there any other factors besides the decaffeination process that could affect the cost of providing decaffeinated coffee to the consumer?"

Now let's discuss each answer choice:

a) Processing regular coffee costs more than processing decaffeinated coffee.

This answer choice is not necessary for the argument to be valid. The argument only claims that the decaffeination process is simple and not very costly, but it doesn't need to assume that regular coffee processing costs more.

b) Price differences between products can generally be accounted for by such factors as supply and demand, not by differences in production costs.

This answer choice is not necessary for the argument either. The argument is specifically about decaffeinated and regular coffee, not about products in general. Moreover, the argument doesn't need to assume anything about supply and demand or other factors.

c) There is little competition among companies that process decaffeinated coffee.

This answer choice is irrelevant to the argument. The argument doesn't need to assume anything about the competition among companies that process decaffeinated coffee for its conclusion to be valid.

d) Retail coffee-sellers do not expect that consumers are content to pay more for decaffeinated coffee than for regular coffee.

This answer choice is not necessary for the argument. The argument doesn't need to assume anything about the expectations of retail coffee-sellers or consumer contentment.

e) The beans used for producing decaffeinated coffee do not cost much more before processing than the beans used for producing regular coffee.

This is the correct answer. The argument assumes that there are no other significant cost factors besides the decaffeination process that could account for the price difference between decaffeinated and regular coffee. If the beans used for producing decaffeinated coffee did cost much more before processing, then the conclusion would be invalid because the price difference could be accounted for by the greater cost of providing decaffeinated coffee to the consumer.

In summary, the correct answer is E, as it is the necessary assumption that the argument relies on for its conclusion to be valid.