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 A. 

LSAT Question Complete Explanation

First, let's analyze the argument in the passage. The argument has two premises and a conclusion:

Premise 1: Students are less likely to respond positively to negative criticism from computer programs than to negative criticism from humans.

Premise 2: One must respond positively to criticism in order to accept it.

Conclusion: Students are more likely to learn from criticism by humans than from criticism by computers.

The argument's structure involves the relationship between students' positive response to criticism and their ability to learn from it. The conclusion introduces the idea of students learning from criticism, which is not explicitly mentioned in the premises. To make the argument valid, we need to identify an assumption that connects the premises to the conclusion.

An "Evaluate" question for this argument could be: "Is there a relationship between accepting criticism and learning from it?"

Now, let's discuss the answer choices for the question, which asks us to identify an assumption on which the argument depends. The question type is a Necessary Assumption question.

a) Students are more likely to learn from criticism that they accept than from criticism they do not accept.

This is the correct answer choice. It connects the premises to the conclusion by establishing a relationship between accepting criticism and learning from it. If students are more likely to learn from criticism they accept, then the argument's conclusion logically follows from the premises.

b) Unlike human critics, computers are incapable of showing compassion.

This answer choice is not necessary for the argument. Even if computers were capable of showing compassion, the argument's conclusion could still be valid. The argument focuses on students' positive response to criticism, not the compassion of the critic.

c) Students always know whether their critics are computers or humans.

This answer choice is not necessary for the argument. The argument's conclusion could still be valid even if students do not always know the source of the criticism. The focus of the argument is on the students' response to the criticism, not their awareness of its source.

d) Criticism generated by computers is likely to be less favorable than that produced by human critics in response to the same work.

This answer choice is not necessary for the argument. The argument's conclusion could still be valid even if computer-generated criticism is more or equally favorable compared to human criticism. The argument focuses on students' positive response to negative criticism, not the favorability of the criticism itself.

e) Criticism generated by computers is likely to be no more or less favorable than that produced by human critics in response to the same work.

This answer choice can be eliminated using the same reasoning as in answer choice (d). The favorability of the criticism is not relevant to the argument's conclusion, which focuses on students' positive response to negative criticism and their ability to learn from it.