LSAT Explanation PT 45, S1, Q10: Rachel: Though contemporary artists are pleased

LSAT Question Stem

On the basis of their statements, Rachel and James are committed to disagreeing with each other about whether 

Logical Reasoning Question Type

This is a Disagree question. 

Correct Answer

The correct answer to this question is A. 

LSAT Question Complete Explanation

The question type for this problem is "Point at Issue" or "Disagree," which means we are looking for a statement that Rachel and James disagree on.

First, let's analyze the passage. Rachel's argument has the following structure:

Premise: Contemporary artists are free of the constraints that bound their predecessors.

Conclusion: This freedom has caused a decline in the quality of art, as great art requires artists to struggle within boundaries.

James's argument has the following structure:

Premise: People have always been critical of the art of their own time and forget all but the greatest art from past eras.

Conclusion: People today mistakenly think that contemporary art is generally inferior to earlier art because inferior contemporary artworks have not yet been forgotten.

Now, let's discuss each answer choice:

Answer choice (A): This is the correct answer choice. Rachel believes that contemporary art is of lower quality than earlier art due to the lack of constraints, while James believes that people mistakenly think contemporary art is inferior to earlier art because they forget the inferior art of the past. They clearly disagree on this statement.

Answer choice (B): We cannot determine James's opinion on whether contemporary artists are bound by the same constraints as their predecessors, as he does not discuss constraints in his argument. Since we don't know James's view on this statement, we cannot say that they disagree on this point.

Answer choice (C): Similarly, we cannot determine James's opinion on whether great art is produced only when an artist struggles against limitations, as he does not discuss this topic in his argument. Therefore, we cannot say that they disagree on this point.

Answer choice (D): James agrees with this statement, as he argues that people forget the inferior art from past eras. However, we do not know Rachel's opinion on whether inferior art from past eras is generally forgotten. Thus, we cannot determine if they disagree on this point.

Answer choice (E): Both Rachel and James seem to disagree with this statement. Rachel's argument assumes that one can accurately compare art from different periods, while James argues that people mistakenly think contemporary art is inferior to earlier art. Since they both disagree with the statement, they do not disagree with each other on this point, making this choice incorrect.

In conclusion, Rachel and James disagree on whether contemporary art is of lower quality than earlier art (Answer choice A).