LSAT Explanation PT 36, S1, Q24: Columnist: George Orwell's book 1984 has

LSAT Question Stem

The answer to which one of the following questions would most help in evaluating the columnist's argument? 

Logical Reasoning Question Type

This is an Evaluate question. 

Correct Answer

The correct answer to this question is B. 

LSAT Question Complete Explanation

The question type for this problem is Evaluate, which means we are looking for a piece of information that will help us determine the validity of the columnist's argument.

Let's first analyze the argument in the passage. The columnist concludes that George Orwell's book 1984 has exercised much influence on a great number of the newspaper's readers. The premise supporting this conclusion is that in a survey of 1,000 readers, 1984 was the second most chosen book as the most influential in their lives, after the Bible.

The argument's structure can be summarized as follows:

Premise: In a survey of 1,000 readers, 1984 was the second most chosen book as the most influential in their lives, after the Bible.

Conclusion: George Orwell's book 1984 has exercised much influence on a great number of the newspaper's readers.

An "Evaluate" question for this argument could be: "What percentage of the surveyed readers chose 1984 as the most influential book in their lives?"

Now, let's discuss the answer choices:

a) How many books had each person surveyed read?

This answer choice is not relevant to the columnist's argument. The survey asks readers to name the one book with the most influence in their lives, so the total number of books read does not affect this answer. Applying the Variance Test with opposite answers (e.g., "1" and "10,000") does not alter the evaluation of the argument, making this choice incorrect.

b) How many people chose books other than 1984?

This is the correct answer choice. It addresses the issue raised in the analysis of the stimulus by revealing how many people selected 1984 relative to the other choices. Using the Variance Test with different responses (e.g., "999" and "501") produces different evaluations of the argument, confirming this as the correct choice.

c) How many people read the columnist's newspaper?

This answer choice is not relevant to the argument. Applying the Variance Test with opposite answers (e.g., "0" and "1 million") does not affect the evaluation of the argument, making this choice incorrect.

d) How many books by George Orwell other than 1984 were chosen?

This answer choice is not relevant to the argument, as it focuses on Orwell's 1984. Other Orwell books chosen by the readers have no impact on the argument. Applying the Variance Test with opposite answers (e.g., "0" and "10") does not affect the evaluation of the argument, making this choice incorrect.

e) How many of those surveyed had actually read the books they chose?

This answer choice is not directly relevant to the argument. The survey addresses the influence of the book, not the actual reading of it. A person might be influenced by a book like the Bible through church teachings, etc., without actually having read the book. Applying the Variance Test with opposite answers (e.g., "0" and "1000") does not affect the evaluation of the argument, making this choice incorrect.

In conclusion, the correct answer choice is (b) "How many people chose books other than 1984?", as it provides crucial information to help evaluate the columnist's argument.