LSAT 105 | Section 4 | Logical Reasoning: Q11

LR Question 11 Explanation

QUESTION TEXT: On the basis of research with young children …

QUESTION TYPE: Strengthen

CONCLUSION: Children must develop the ability to copy curves before they can develop the ability to copy angles.

REASONING: Research with young children suggested this.

ANALYSIS: We don’t really have any evidence for this. We’re supposed to provide the evidence.

The hypothesis is that you need curves before you can have angles.

In other words: If Angles ➞ Curves

Because curves are necessary to develop angles.

So the hypothesis tells us:

• If Angles ➞ Curves
• Contrapositive: If NOT Curves ➞ NOT Angles

Evidence that would help us support this is if we knew that all children who can copy angles can also copy curves. Or that no children who cannot copy curves can copy angles. That would strongly suggest that copying curves is necessary to copy angles.

___________

1. Straight lines aren’t mentioned in the hypothesis, so who cares? This tells us nothing about the relationship between curves and angles.
2. CORRECT. This tells us: If Angles ➞ Curves, which is exactly the psychologist’s hypothesis. If every child who can copy angles can also copy curves, that strongly suggests the curve-copying skill comes first.
3. This introduces a new skill: discriminating angles. Even if this is true, it doesn’t tell us anything about whether curve-copying comes before angle-copying.
4. This gives: Not Curves + Angles. It directly weakens the hypothesis because it provides children who can copy angles without being able to copy curves, so it shows that curves are not necessary.
5. This tells us children possess some cognitive processes related to angle-copying, but it says nothing about whether those processes develop before or after curve-copying.