LSAT 120 – Section 4 – Question 26

You need a full course to see this video. Enroll now and get started in less than a minute.

Request new explanation

Target time: 1:21

This is question data from the 7Sage LSAT Scorer. You can score your LSATs, track your results, and analyze your performance with pretty charts and vital statistics - all with a Free Account ← sign up in less than 10 seconds



J.Y.’s explanation

You need a full course to see this video. Enroll now and get started in less than a minute.

The number of applications for admission reported by North American Ph.D. programs in art history has declined in each of the last four years. We can conclude from this that interest among recent North American college and university graduates in choosing art history as a career has declined in the last four years.

Summarize Argument: Phenomenon-Hypothesis
The author hypothesizes that interest among recent North American college/university graduates in choosing art history as a career has declined over the last four years. This is based on the fact that the reported number of applications to North American Ph.D. programs in art history has gone down in each of the last four years.

Notable Assumptions
The author assumes that there’s no other explanation for the decline in reported applications for admission than a decline in North American college/university graduates’ interest in a career in art history.

A
The number of North American Ph.D. programs in art history that opted to report data about applications for admission has declined in each of the last four years.
This provides a potential alternate explanation for the decline in reported applications. Fewer Ph.D. programs reporting data would naturally lead to a lower number of applications reported.
B
The average age of applicants for admission to North American Ph.D. programs in art history has increased in each of the last four years.
The potential impact of an increase in average age of applicants is unclear. If anything, this might suggest fewer “recent” (and therefore, on average younger) graduates are applying, which is consistent with the author’s reasoning.
C
The number of errors in data about applications for admission to North American Ph.D. programs in art history has increased substantially during the last four years.
This raises the possibility that the data the author relies on has become less reliable. The decline in reported applications may not reflect an actual decline in applications.
D
The number of North American employers willing to hire individuals without a Ph.D. for jobs in art history has increased in each of the last four years.
This raises a potential alternate explanation for the decline in reported applications. Maybe interest in pursuing art history as a career is just as high, but more graduates are being hired directly by employers in the industry rather than pursuing a Ph.D.
E
The percentage of applications for admission received from outside North America by North American Ph.D. programs in art history has declined substantially in the last four years.
This raises a potential alternate explanation for the decline in reported applications. The decline might not be coming from North American graduates, but from people outside North America. Thus, it doesn’t necessarily reflect decline in the interest of North American graduates.

Take PrepTest

Loading

Review Results

LSAT PrepTest 120 Explanations

Section 1 - Logical Reasoning

Section 2 - Reading Comprehension

Section 3 - Logical Reasoning

Section 4 - Logical Reasoning

Get full LSAT course

Leave a Reply