LSAT Explanation PT 40, S1, Q8: Some students attending a small university

LSAT Question Stem

The professor's conclusion is properly drawn if which one of the following is assumed? 

Logical Reasoning Question Type

This is a Sufficient Assumption question. 

Correct Answer

The correct answer to this question is A. 

LSAT Question Complete Explanation

First, let's analyze the argument in the passage. The passage states that some students attending a small university with a well-known choir live off campus. It also mentions that all music majors are members of the choir. The professor in the music department concludes that none of the students who live off campus is a music major. Let's label the parts of the argument:

1. Premise: Some students live off campus.

2. Premise: All music majors are members of the choir.

3. Conclusion: None of the students who live off campus is a music major.

The question type is a Sufficient Assumption question, asking us to identify the assumption that, if true, would make the professor's conclusion valid.

An "Evaluate" question for this argument could be: "Are any members of the choir living off campus?"

Now, let's discuss the answer choices:

a) None of the students who live off campus is a member of the choir.

This answer choice is the correct one because it connects the premises to the conclusion. If none of the students who live off campus is a member of the choir, and all music majors are members of the choir, then it logically follows that none of the students who live off campus is a music major.

b) None of the students who are music majors has failed to join the choir.

This answer choice restates the second premise (all music majors are members of the choir) but doesn't provide any new information that would help us draw the conclusion. It doesn't connect the ideas of living off campus and being a music major.

c) Some of the students who do not live off campus are not music majors.

This answer choice is a distraction, as it doesn't give us any information about the students who live off campus and whether they are music majors or not. The conclusion is about the students who live off campus, so this answer choice doesn't help us.

d) All students who live on campus are music majors.

This answer choice is a mistaken reversal of the assumption. It doesn't tell us anything about the students who live off campus and whether they are music majors or not. We need information about the off-campus students to draw the conclusion.

e) All students who are members of the choir are music majors.

This answer choice strengthens the connection between music majors and choir members, but it doesn't tell us anything about where those students live. We need to know if being a music major or choir member means you live on or off campus to draw the conclusion.

In conclusion, answer choice A is the correct answer as it provides the missing assumption that connects the premises to the conclusion. By assuming that none of the students who live off campus is a member of the choir, we can logically conclude that none of the students who live off campus is a music major.