#14 - Ingrid: Rock music has produced no songs as durable as

[Administrator]

Complete Question Explanation

Method of Reasoning. The correct answer choice is (D)

This stimulus presents a two-person dialogue about the best indicators of song durability.

Ingrid concludes that the songs of the 1940s are the most durable, based on her supporting premise that 1940s songs are commonly performed by numerous performers. This implies that the 40s songs are recorded by multiples performers over the years, which indicates their greater durability in comparison to rock songs, which are apparently not recorded by multiple performers.

Jerome provides an interesting and, for many students, confusing reply. By starting his statement with "True," it appears that he may be in full agreement with Ingrid. But, he is only agreeing that rock songs are recorded once, and from there, he ultimately disagrees with Ingrid and asserts that rock songs are durable as well, and cites a different measurement of durability: the popularity of the original recording.

The argument form that Jerome uses is quite common in real life, but it appears less frequently on the LSAT, and thus when it does appear it can really throw you off! Basically, Jerome listens to Ingrid's argument and realizes that one of her points is valid, so he concedes that point in his response. But he then goes on to add new information and arrive at a different conclusion.

The question stem asks how Jerome responds, which is a standard Method of Reasoning phrasing. To prephrase: His suggestion is that the number of re-recordings may not be the only criterion for judging the durability of the songs of a particular genre.

Answer choice (A) There is no misrepresentation in Jerome's response, and he provides a reasonable response that claims that durability should be judged by different criteria.

Answer choice (B) There is no contradiction referenced in Jerome's response, and he doesn't show that Ingrid's claim any contradictory situation.

Answer choice (C) Jerome does not disagree with the evidence provided by Ingrid, he actually agrees with it. Instead, he believes that her suggested criterion should not be the only one considered.

Answer choice (D) This is the correct answer choice, as it restates the prephrase above—Jerome suggests a new basis for determining the durability of a song (popularity of the original recording vs being recorded by numerous performers).

Answer choice (E) Again, Jerome is not questioning the evidence presented or Ingrid's expertise—he only suggests a further criterion for judgment.

[linda.an]

Hello,

Why does Jerome start his argument by saying "True..."? Is it because the idea "rock songs are usually recorded only once" is implied by Ingrid's argument? I though Jerome was partially agreeing to Ingrid, therefore I didn't find any of the answers appropriate.

Thank you for your help!

[Shannon Parker]

Hi,

Yes, in this passage Jerome is saying that it is true that rock songs are usually only recorded once, which is the standard that Ingrid is using to judge durability. He then suggests the alternative standard of judging durability, that of a song's enduring popularity. You can think of it as him saying, "although it is true that rock songs are usually recorded only once. . . "

Hope this clears up any confusion.

~Shannon

[sgd2114]

Hi,

My apologies if this is clear and I'm not seeing it, but how does Ingrid imply that the 1940s songs are recorded only once? I correctly chose (D), because I understood Jerome to be suggesting an alternative standard (continued popularity of the original, rather than continued recordings by other performers). However, I saw the first sentence of Jerome's argument to be contrary to Ingrid's claim. She is saying the 1940s songs continue to be recorded by multiple performers (i.e., multiple recordings), whereas Jerome says there is only one recording. Am I missing something?

Thank you.

[Dave Killoran]

Hi,

My apologies if this is clear and I'm not seeing it, but how does Ingrid imply that the 1940s songs are recorded only once? I correctly chose (D), because I understood Jerome to be suggesting an alternative standard (continued popularity of the original, rather than continued recordings by other performers). However, I saw the first sentence of Jerome's argument to be contrary to Ingrid's claim. She is saying the 1940s songs continue to be recorded by multiple performers (i.e., multiple recordings), whereas Jerome says there is only one recording. Am I missing something?

Thank you.

She doesn't imply that, fortunately! Since there is a lot of confusion over how Jerome responds here, so I've (hopefully) cleared it up by expanding the original explanation above. Check that out and let me know if it helps make the problem clearer.

Thanks!