#22 - The only preexisting recordings that are transferred

[Lilly]

Problem #22 - I'm pretty confused by this one about transferring music to CD. I can hardly come up with a conclusion at all much less trying to make any of the answer choices follow logically. Can someone here explain?

[Steve Stein]

Hey Lilly,

Good question. That one can be pretty confusing, but it can be rephrased much more simply:

Pre-made records only get made into CDs if record companies think they'll make profits. Not many classic jazz records get radio play.
So most jazz records won't get made into CDs.

The question asks us to find the answer choice that allows the conclusion to follow logically--the answer choice that justifies the author's conclusion.

Pre made records only become CDs if the record companies believe that they will be profitable. In other words:

If record companies don't think a recording will be profitable, it will not become a CD.

Most classic jazz isnt played on the radio, so most of those records will not become CDs.

So, the author must think that if recordings don't get played on the radio, record companies won't believe they'll make money. If this is the case, then author is justified in the conclusion that most classic jazz won't get put on CD, and this is the assumption provided in answer choice (E).

I hope that's helpful--let me know if everything makes sense. Thanks!

[Lilly]

Hey Steve - thanks a lot, that is helpful!

I think I was having trouble grasping the relationship between radio play and CD sales.

[RENG]

I don't understand how answer choices C and E differ from each other. Don't they logically mean the exact same thing as each other?

Thanks.

[Jacques Lamothe]

Hey Reng,

The wording of C and E definitely makes the two sound similar. For answers like these, it can be really helpful to diagram the answer choices.

Answer choice C would be diagrammed as:
Radio --> record companies do believe song can be profitably sold as CDs

The belief that the songs can be sold profitably is treated as a necessary condition for the song to be played on the radio.

In contrast, E would be diagrammed like this:
Not on Radio --> record companies do not believe song can be sold profitably as CDs

This makes it much clearer that C and E are not logically equivalent. To move from one to the other, you would have to make the mistake of using Mistaken Negation.

I hope this clears things up. When two answers seem identical, diagramming can be a great way to figure out the difference between them!

Jacques

[RENG]

Yes. Yes it does.

Thanks

[est15]

I'm stuck between C and E. Don't they both describe the same thing? That the record companies are only going to transfer songs on the radio onto compact disc.

[David Boyle]

I'm stuck between C and E. Don't they both describe the same thing? That the record companies are only going to transfer songs on the radio onto compact disc.

Hello est 15,

Answer E can be "diagrammed" as "In order for folks to believe it's profitable as a CD, it must be (or must have been) played on the radio." That fits with the stimulus about few classical jazz recordings being played on the radio, since answer E makes it a necessary condition to be on the radio.
By contrast, answer C can be "diagrammed" as "If played on a radio, it must be one that folks think is profitable as a CD." This seems to me a mistaken reversal of answer E.

Hope this helps,
David

[lsat2016]

Could you explain why “few classic jazz CDs are played on the radio” can be symbolized as
CJ (some) -> radio

and

CJ (most) -> ~ radio?

For example, if I say that some children wear blue clothes, is it permissible to infer that most children are not wearing blue clothes?

[David Boyle]

Could you explain why “few classic jazz CDs are played on the radio” can be symbolized as
CJ (some) -> radio

and

CJ (most) -> ~ radio?

For example, if I say that some children wear blue clothes, is it permissible to infer that most children are not wearing blue clothes?

Hello lsat2016,

As for "if I say that some children wear blue clothes, is it permissible to infer that most children are not wearing blue clothes?", that's incorrect, since "some" could mean "all", so that all children could be wearing blue clothes. As for the diagramming above, though, CJ (most) -> ~ radio seems correct, and so does CJ (some) -> radio in a narrow sense, since "few" is a subset of "some" (unless few means "none"). But since "some" is vague, CJ (some) -> radio is not the best way to say that “few classic jazz CDs are played on the radio”. Perhaps CJ (few) radio might work better, or, of course, the negative version, CJ (most) -> ~ radio.

Hope this helps,
David