LSAT Explanation PT 37, S4, Q3: An instructor presented two paintings to

LSAT Question Stem

The statements above, if true, most strongly support which one of the following? 

Logical Reasoning Question Type

This is a Must Be True question. 

Correct Answer

The correct answer to this question is D. 

LSAT Question Complete Explanation

First, let's analyze the passage. An instructor presented two paintings to two different classes. In one class, she said the first painting was prestigious and the second was by an unknown amateur. In the other class, she said the opposite. In both cases, the students preferred the painting they believed to be prestigious. This passage suggests that the students' opinions were influenced by the information provided by the instructor.

Now, let's identify the question type and what it's asking us to do. This is a Must Be True (MBT) question, which means we need to find the answer choice that is most strongly supported by the information in the passage.

Let's go through each answer choice:

a) This answer choice is too strong and doesn't accurately reflect the passage. It says that most students wouldn't like ANY work by an unknown amateur. The passage only gives us information about one painting and doesn't say that the students definitely didn't like the amateur painting, just that they preferred the one they believed to be prestigious.

b) This answer choice is not supported by the passage. We have no information to determine if the instructor's claims were true or false.

c) This answer choice is also too strong. We can't conclude that the students would like most paintings in prestigious museums based on their opinions of just two paintings.

d) This answer choice is the correct one. It states that some of the students were affected by what they were told about the history of the paintings. While the passage says that everyone in each class preferred the painting they believed to be prestigious, we cannot conclude that all students were influenced by the instructor's information. It's possible that some students made their own decisions or ignored the instructor's information. However, it's highly likely that at least some of the students were influenced by the information provided, making this the best-supported answer choice.

e) This answer choice is not supported by the passage. We cannot conclude what the students' opinions would have been if the instructor hadn't provided any information about the paintings.

In conclusion, the correct answer is D. The passage suggests that the students' opinions were influenced by the information provided by the instructor, and this answer choice is the most strongly supported by the passage.