LSAT Explanation PT 42, S2, Q2: It is well documented that people

LSAT Question Stem

The claim that people have positive or negative responses to many nonsense words 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 D. 

LSAT Question Complete Explanation

This LSAT problem is a Method of Reasoning question, specifically an Argument Part (AP) question. We are asked to determine the role of a specific claim in the argument, which is that "people have positive or negative responses to many nonsense words."

Let's first break down the argument structure:

Premise 1: People have positive responses to some words (e.g., "kind" and "wonderful") and negative responses to others (e.g., "evil" and "nausea").

Premise 2: Psychological experiments reveal that people also have positive or negative responses to many nonsense words.

Conclusion: People's responses to words are conditioned not only by what the words mean, but also by how they sound.

Now, let's analyze each answer choice:

Answer choice (A): This answer correctly identifies the claim as a premise, but it incorrectly states that the conclusion is about people having either a positive or negative response to any word. This is not the conclusion of the argument, so this answer choice is incorrect.

Answer choice (B): This answer incorrectly labels the claim as a conclusion. In fact, the claim is a premise supporting the conclusion. Additionally, this answer mischaracterizes the conclusion of the argument as a premise. Therefore, this answer choice is incorrect.

Answer choice (C): While the claim could be considered a generalization, this answer choice incorrectly suggests that it is a conclusion supported by the first premise. The claim is actually a separate premise used to support the conclusion. Thus, this answer choice is incorrect.

Answer choice (D): This is the correct answer choice. It accurately identifies the claim as a premise offered in support of the conclusion that people's responses to words are conditioned not only by what the words mean, but also by how they sound.

Answer choice (E): This answer choice is incorrect because it incorrectly identifies the claim as a conclusion. Furthermore, the rest of the answer choice describes a claim that does not appear in the argument, making it irrelevant and incorrect.

In summary, the correct answer is choice (D), as it correctly identifies the role of the claim in the argument as a premise supporting the conclusion that people's responses to words are conditioned not only by what the words mean, but also by how they sound.