LSAT Explanation PT 32, S1, Q25: Native speakers perceive sentences of their

LSAT Question Stem

Which one of the following is an assumption on which the argument depends? 

Logical Reasoning Question Type

This is a Necessary Assumption question. 

Correct Answer

The correct answer to this question is E. 

LSAT Question Complete Explanation

Let's first analyze the argument in the passage. The passage states that native speakers perceive sentences of their own language as sequences of separate words, but this perception is an illusion. The evidence provided for this claim is that travelers who do not know the local language hear an unintelligible, uninterrupted stream of sound, not sentences with distinct words. In this argument, the premise is that travelers who do not know a local language hear an unintelligible, uninterrupted stream of sound, and the conclusion is that native speakers' perception of sentences as sequences of separate words is an illusion.

To clarify this argument, let's use a simple example. Imagine you are a native English speaker listening to an English sentence. You perceive it as a sequence of separate words. However, if you were a traveler who doesn't know English, you would hear the same sentence as an uninterrupted stream of sound. The passage argues that the native English speaker's perception of separate words is an illusion because the traveler hears it differently.

An "Evaluate" question for this argument could be: "Is the traveler's perception of the language more accurate than the native speaker's perception?"

Now, let's discuss the answer choices. Remember, this is a Necessary Assumption question, which means we are looking for the assumption on which the argument depends.

a) It is impossible to understand sentences if they are in fact uninterrupted streams of sound.

- This answer choice is not necessary for the argument. The argument is about the perception of sentences as separate words or uninterrupted streams of sound, not about understanding the sentences.

b) Those who do not know a language cannot hear the way speech in that language actually sounds.

- This answer choice is not necessary for the argument, as it suggests that travelers cannot accurately hear the speech, which is not required for the argument to hold.

c) People pay less close attention to the way their own language sounds than they do to the way an unfamiliar language sounds.

- This answer choice is not necessary for the argument, as the argument doesn't rely on the level of attention people pay to their own language or an unfamiliar language.

d) Accomplished non-native speakers of a language do not perceive sentences as streams of sound.

- This answer choice is not necessary for the argument, as the argument is focused on native speakers and travelers who do not know the language, not accomplished non-native speakers.

e) Native speakers' perceptions of their own language are not more accurate than are the perceptions of persons who do not know that language.

- This is the correct answer. The argument depends on the assumption that native speakers' perceptions are not more accurate than the perceptions of travelers who do not know the language. If native speakers' perceptions were more accurate, the conclusion that their perception of separate words is an illusion would not hold.

In conclusion, the correct answer is E, as it is the necessary assumption on which the argument depends. The argument claims that native speakers' perception of sentences as separate words is an illusion because travelers who do not know the language hear an uninterrupted stream of sound. The assumption that native speakers' perceptions are not more accurate than the perceptions of travelers who do not know the language is crucial for this argument to be valid.