LSAT 117 | Section 2 | Logical Reasoning: Q7

LR Question 7 Explanation

QUESTION TEXT: Increases in the occurrence of hearing loss …

QUESTION TYPE: Strengthen

CONCLUSION: The proposed headphones wouldn’t significantly reduce hearing loss among teenagers.

REASONING: Teenagers almost always buy their own headphones.

ANALYSIS: Parents want manufacturers to sell safer headphones.

The argument thinks this won’t help the problem because teenagers buy their own headphones.

So it’s assuming that teenagers probably won’t choose the safer headphones.

We need support for the idea that teenagers who listen dangerously loudly are doing it on purpose, even though they know the risks.

If that’s true, then they probably won’t voluntarily buy headphones that stop them from listening at dangerous levels.

___________

1. This shows loud headphone music is dangerous, but the argument already accepts that. This doesn’t support that the proposed solution would fail.
2. So we know headphone music is a really big problem. But this doesn’t allow us to determine whether the proposal will help.
3. Parents’ own listening habits don’t matter. The issue is whether teenagers will buy/use the safer headphones.
4. CORRECT. If teenagers knowingly choose dangerous volume levels, then they are unlikely to buy headphones that automatically stop that behavior. So the recommendation probably won’t help that much.
5. So some manufacturers already have the same plan that the parents are recommending. Great! Are teenagers gonna buy them though? This doesn’t tell us anything about that.