LSAT 110 | Section 3 | Logical Reasoning: Q26

LR Question 26 Explanation

QUESTION TEXT: The media now devote more coverage to crime than…

QUESTION TYPE: Role in Argument

CONCLUSION: The increase in crime coverage is because the public is more interested in crime stories. It is not because there is more crime.

REASONING: The media pays close attention to the tastes and interests of the public when it decides what to cover.

ANALYSIS: The argument presents an alternate explanation for why crime coverage is increasing.

It’s because people are more interested in crime. I disagree slightly with the correct answer, E.

I think the fact that people are more interested in crime is just part of the larger conclusion: there is more crime coverage because of this increased interest, not because there is more crime.

But E is still the best choice. The increased interest in crime is an alternate explanation.

The “after all” indicates that the statement right before is the conclusion.

___________

1. I found this very tempting. But it mis-states the conclusion. We have no idea how much crime coverage is justified. All we know is that there is more coverage than ten years ago – but maybe there wasn’t enough crime coverage then!
2. Actually, no evidence was given for the claim that the media decide to cover stories based on interest. The LSAT usually doesn’t have to give evidence for its premises.
3. I think the LSAT is trying to impress us by using the word “counterexample”. This is nonsense. The stimulus never attempts to disprove the idea that crime coverage has increased – it tries to explain this fact.
4. Crime coverage has increased. We’re not told whether the crime rate has increased.
5. CORRECT. If you ignore my caveat in the Analysis section, this is pretty straightforward. The increased public interest in crime explains the increase in coverage.