LSAT Question Stem

Which one of the following, if true, would most strengthen the medical doctor's argument? 

Logical Reasoning Question Type

This is a Strengthen question. 

Correct Answer

The correct answer to this question is B. 

LSAT Question Complete Explanation

The question type for this problem is Strengthen, which means we are looking for an answer choice that would make the medical doctor's argument more convincing.

Let's first analyze the structure of the medical doctor's argument:

Premise 1: Sleep deprivation is the cause of many social ills, ranging from irritability to potentially dangerous instances of impaired decision making.

Premise 2: Most people today suffer from sleep deprivation to some degree.

Conclusion: Therefore, we should restructure the workday to allow people flexibility in scheduling their work hours.

The argument is essentially saying that since sleep deprivation causes social problems and most people suffer from it, we should change the workday to be more flexible. The missing link in this argument is whether restructuring the workday would actually help alleviate sleep deprivation. So, the "Evaluate" question for this argument would be: "Would restructuring the workday to allow for more flexibility in scheduling work hours actually help reduce sleep deprivation?"

Now let's examine each answer choice:

a) The primary cause of sleep deprivation is overwork.

This answer choice is tempting, but it doesn't directly address the gap in the argument. Even if overwork is the primary cause of sleep deprivation, it doesn't necessarily mean that restructuring the workday would help alleviate sleep deprivation. People could be overworked for reasons unrelated to the structure of the workday.

b) Employees would get more sleep if they had greater latitude in scheduling their work hours.

This is the correct answer. It directly addresses the gap in the argument by stating that if employees had more flexibility in scheduling their work hours, they would get more sleep. This strengthens the argument that restructuring the workday would help alleviate sleep deprivation.

c) Individuals vary widely in the amount of sleep they require.

This answer choice doesn't help the argument, as it doesn't address the relationship between the workday structure and sleep deprivation. It only states that people have different sleep needs, which doesn't necessarily strengthen the argument for restructuring the workday.

d) More people would suffer from sleep deprivation today than did in the past if the average number of hours worked per week had not decreased.

This answer choice is irrelevant to the argument, as it discusses a hypothetical situation and doesn't address the relationship between workday structure and sleep deprivation. The argument is about the need for flexibility in scheduling work hours, not the total number of hours worked per week.

e) The extent of one's sleep deprivation is proportional to the length of one's workday.

This answer choice doesn't strengthen the argument because the argument is about restructuring the workday for more flexibility, not necessarily shortening it. Knowing that sleep deprivation is proportional to the length of the workday doesn't help the argument for allowing flexibility in scheduling work hours.

In conclusion, the correct answer choice is (b), as it directly addresses the gap in the argument and strengthens the medical doctor's claim that restructuring the workday would help alleviate sleep deprivation.