LSAT 119 – Section 2 – Question 19

LSAT 119 - Section 2 - Question 19

June 2005

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Question
QuickView		 Type Tags Answer
Choices		 Curve Question
Difficulty		 Psg/Game/S
Difficulty		 Explanation
PT119 S2 Q19
+LR
Strengthen +Streng
Causal Reasoning +CausR
Sampling +Smpl
A
28%
160
B
67%
166
C
4%
156
D
0%
154
E
0%
145
143
155
167
 +Harder 144.676 +SubsectionEasier

In an experiment, researchers played a series of musical intervals—two-note sequences—to a large, diverse group of six-month-old babies. They found that the babies paid significantly more attention when the intervals were perfect octaves, fifths, or fourths than otherwise. These intervals are prevalent in the musical systems of most cultures around the world. Thus, humans probably have a biological predisposition to pay more attention to those intervals than to others.

Summarize Argument: Phenomenon-Hypothesis
The author concludes that humans likely have a biological predisposition to certain musical intervals. This is based on a study where babies paid more attention to certain intervals than others, and the fact certain intervals are prevalent around the world.

Notable Assumptions
In order for the study to signify a biological predisposition, the babies in the study can’t have any prior musical conditioning. Otherwise, we could conclude that the babies were simply more accustomed to those intervals and thus paid more attention. The author must also assume that many cultures around the world weren’t influenced by some single or small group of musical systems. If they were, then the presence of certain intervals would signify cultural influence rather than biological predisposition.

A
Several similar experiments using older children and adults found that these subjects, too, had a general tendency to pay more attention to octaves, fifths, and fourths than to other musical intervals.
We don’t care about older children. Older children have definitely already been exposed to music.
B
None of the babies in the experiment had previous exposure to music from any culture.
This defends against a potential weakener. If the babies in the study had already been exposed to music, then we could imagine their interest in certain intervals came from that exposure. But since they hadn’t been exposed to music, their interest was purely natural.
C
All of the babies in the experiment had been exposed to music drawn equally from a wide variety of cultures around the world.
This weakens the author’s argument. If the babies had already been exposed to music, then their interest in certain intervals likely came from that exposure.
D
In a second experiment, these same babies showed no clear tendency to notice primary colors more than other colors.
We don’t care about primary colors.
E
Octaves, fifths, and fourths were played more frequently during the experiment than other musical intervals were.
If anything, this weakens the author’s argument. Perhaps the babies paid attention to these intervals because they were played frequently, rather than because of some biological disposition towards these intervals.

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LSAT PrepTest 119 Explanations

Section 1 - Reading Comprehension

Section 2 - Logical Reasoning

Section 3 - Logical Reasoning

Section 4 - Logical Reasoning

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