LSAT 151 | Section 3 | Logical Reasoning: Q14

LR Question 14 Explanation

QUESTION TEXT: Music historian: In the past, radio stations would not play rock songs …

QUESTION TYPE: Most Strongly Supported

FACTS:

• Radio stations used to refuse to play rock songs longer than 3 minutes.
• Some musicians said this limit restricted creativity.
• Some critics claim rock only became truly artistic after that barrier was removed.
• Once the limit was lifted, structure broke down because the styles rock came from weren’t well-suited to longer songs.

ANALYSIS: The main takeaway is that the historian rejects the idea that removing commercial limits improved rock. In fact, the historian says lifting the three-minute barrier made the music worse, because longer songs did not suit the styles rock came from.

That supports the idea that a commercial constraint can sometimes help rather than hinder an art form.

___________

1. Much too broad. The historian criticizes extended song structures, not rock as a medium for creative people.
2. The historian rejects one theory about artistry, but does not say this is the only path for rock to become artistic.
3. No comparison to other genres is made.
4. CORRECT. The historian explicitly suggests the three-minute constraint helped preserve structure and that removing it hurt the music.
5. Nothing in the stimulus supports anything about self-consciousness.