LSAT Question Explanation

PT 108, Section 3, Question 4

Sufficient Assumption

Argument structure

Conclusion

The TV commercial has influenced North American habits of thought.

Evidence

The average 40 year old North American will have watched over 1 million TV commercials

Explanation

This is pretty clearly flawed, there's no evidence linking watching many TV commercials with people's habits of thought being influenced.

The author is just assuming that because the average 40 year old North American has watched so many ads, their thought will be influenced.

Answer choices

(A)

This tells us that habits of thought can be influenced by some external forces, but doesn't prove that they're influenced specifically by TV commercials.

(B)

This proves that the TV ads are influencing North American habits of thought, because the evidence in the stimulus tells us that North Americans are consuming TV ads in great quantities.

(C)

Ok great, but this doesn't tell us if the TV commercials influence habits of thought.

(D)

Similar to (C), this isn't relevant to the conclusion that the TV commercials are influencing habits of thought.

(E)

Similar to (A), this tells us that some things influence habits of thought but not TV commercials specifically.