LSAT Question Stem

The argument depends on assuming which one of the following? 

Logical Reasoning Question Type

This is a Necessary Assumption question. 

Correct Answer

The correct answer to this question is B. 

LSAT Question Complete Explanation

First, let's break down and analyze the argument in the passage. The argument consists of three premises and one conclusion:

Premise 1: Larson cannot do the assignment because of an unavoidable scheduling conflict.

Premise 2: Franks cannot do the assignment because he is not assertive enough for the task.

Premise 3: Parker is the only supervisor in the shipping department other than Larson and Franks.

Conclusion: Parker must be assigned to the task.

The question type for this problem is Necessary Assumption, which means we need to identify the assumption that the argument relies on for the conclusion to be valid. In other words, we're looking for a statement that must be true for the conclusion to hold.

Now, let's consider an "Evaluate" question for this argument: "Can the task be assigned to someone who is not a supervisor in the shipping department?" The answer to this question will help us determine if the argument is valid or not.

Let's go through each answer choice in detail:

a) Larson has the assertiveness the task requires.

This answer choice is not necessary for the argument to hold because the passage only mentions "a" reason Larson cannot do the assignment, which leaves open the possibility of other reasons. The author does not assume that Larson has the assertiveness required for the task.

b) The task cannot be assigned to anyone other than a supervisor in the shipping department.

This is the correct answer choice. The argument assumes that only supervisors from the shipping department can be assigned to the task since it concludes that Parker must be assigned due to the other two supervisors being unavailable. If we negate this statement, the conclusion is weakened, confirming this as the necessary assumption.

c) Franks would be assigned the task if Franks had the assertiveness the task requires.

This answer choice is not necessary for the argument to hold because the passage only mentions "a" reason Franks cannot do the assignment, which leaves open the possibility of other reasons. The author does not assume that Franks would be assigned the task if he had the required assertiveness.

d) The task cannot be assigned to anyone who has any kind of scheduling conflict.

This choice is too broad, as the argument only focuses on Larson's unavoidable scheduling conflict, not any conflict in general. The author does not assume that all scheduling conflicts preclude the assignment of the task.

e) No one who is not a supervisor in the shipping department has the assertiveness this task requires.

The author does not assume this statement as they have limited the candidates to the shipping department. There could be other people who are assertive enough for the task, but they would not be qualified since they are not supervisors in the shipping department.

In conclusion, the correct answer is (b) The task cannot be assigned to anyone other than a supervisor in the shipping department. This is the necessary assumption that the argument depends on for the conclusion to be valid.