#14 - In the 1960s paranoia was viewed by social scientists

[Administrator]

Complete Question Explanation

Must Be True. The correct answer choice is (A)

If we actively read the stimulus of this question, we might note that it has no conclusion. Instead, it offers a series of observations and the question stem asks us to draw a conclusion. This is the classic form of a Must Be True question. Evaluating the form of the stimulus will help us to find the correct answer choice.

The first sentence relates how social scientists in the 1960's viewed paranoia to how paranoia was presented in 1960s films. The second sentence does the same for 1970s films. So, the correct answer is likely to link social science and films.

Answer choice (A): This is the correct answer choice. This answer is supported by the examples of the two eras offered within the stimulus.

Answer Choice (B) asks us to endorse the 1970s view of paranoia. But, the stimulus says nothing about the correctness of either view.

Answer Choice (C) asks us to endorse the part of the 1970s view that the world had "gone mad." As in (B), though, the stimulus does not endorse either view.

Answer Choice (D) is actually a mistake in logic. The stimulus says that how society views paranoia has changed, but (D) says that paranoia itself changes.

Answer Choice (E) tries to explain the shift that happened between the 1960s and 1970s. However, the stimulus says nothing about why it happened. As a result, (E) is wrong.

[netherlands]

These (especially #7) were two questions that I had some real bones to pick with! Though from initial glancing I realized they're moth "most strongly supported" questions which makes me think I'm not recognizing a subtle difference between these types and must be true questions.

#7- "A" immediately seemed like an assumed causal relationship. Nowhere in the stimulus does the passage tell us one occurred before the other - meaning social science could have affected film trends or it could have been the other way around - with film trends affecting people and thus affecting social scientists' findings.

So in a "MUST BE TRUE" world - I couldn't see "A" being the right answer because it would be a flawed causal conclusion.

So- am I misinterpreting what the question stem is asking of me? I must be. Is "most strongly supported" really asking me "what does the stimulus suggest"? If that were the case I could then see how "A" was correct. (I'd chosen C, but see how it should have been eliminated since the statement is about views of paranoia, not paranoia itself.)

Thank you in advance!

[Steve Stein]

Hi Netherlands,

As with other Must be True questions, a question that asks for the choice that is most strongly supported will still answered by the only choice that is supported by the information from the stimulus.

Here, the author provides that social scientists saw paranoia as one thing in the 60s--that's how it was portrayed in film at that time--and another thing in the 70s--and that's how it was portrayed in film during that period.

Here we have two actual examples of social science trends' being portrayed in films of that period, directly supporting answer choice A.

I hope that's helpful!

~Steve

[netherlands]

Hi there Steve,

Although I still feel that I cannot prove based on the passage which affected the other (film affecting social science trends vs social science trends affecting films) since the passage didn't offer any chronological information - I do see how "A" is a reasonable assumption and can be reasonably assumed/implied based of what was in the passage!

Since this is a MSS I think that it's ok to think of it that way based on feedback I've been getting from you guys. I think that for me, really noting this subtle difference in the question stems is what is going to help me choose the right answers.

Let me know if you disagree.

[Steve Stein]

Hi Netherlands,

You don't need to prove which affected the other.

Take another look at the wording of the right answer choice--the people who make the LSAT are very sharp. The correct answer choice in this case doesn't claim that the social science perspective caused those depictions, nor does it imply that the films' depictions led the way for social science.

Rather, the correct answer choice says that "images...in films..reflect trends in social science of that period." Note the deliberate lack of any causal claim--it doesn't take sides on which was the cart and which was the horse.

The correct answer choice is confirmed by the examples of the 60s and that of the 70s provided in the stimulus.

I hope that's helpful! Please let me know.

~Steve

[netherlands]

Omg I see it. Wow. "Reflect" doesn't mean "cause".

I feel like I went all around the world with that one. Sorry about that! But thanks for making sure I understood! The entire time I was reading "A", I was seeing "caused" in my mind when I read "reflect".

[Mustafaabdulmalek]

The answer for q#7 must be true in home work book ,why. I can assume in the right answer A that "image of paranoia in films made in a period reflect tends in social science of that period" the stimuli mentioned just the 1960,1970s It could be true I know for sure that it was in 1960,1970s Meanwhile the answer choice E taking about 1960,1970s and I can the same way assume that if there was a cure then the paranoia description will not change

[Ricky_Hutchens]

Hi Mustafa,

I think it is important to point out that you don't need to assume anything to answer this question, because it simply asks for which statement is most strongly supported by the stimulus.

The stimulus discuss the dominant views of two periods and how those views were portrayed in the films of those times. But answer choice E isn't concerned with this, instead, it tries to offer an explanation for why the views changed between the two time periods. This is not supported by the stimulus as it goes beyond what is actually found in the stimulus. This does require you to make an assumption.

But answer choice A is right on topic. The fact that the stimulus shows that views of the time were portrayed in films of the time in two different periods is strong support for A. It doesn't prove it is true, but the question doesn't require it to, as it only ask you for what is most strongly supported.

Hope that helps,

Ricky Hutchens

[Mustafaabdulmalek]

Thank you very much this was so helpful

[uhinberg]

Question: Isn't this a good example of a conclusion that is "strongly supported" but does not have to be true? We have two examples of films of a certain era in which images of paranoia reflect the current trends in social science, but does that A must be true? Perhaps in the 80's and 90's filmmakers chose to portray paranoia with outdated understandings.