#4 - If the regulation of computer networks is to be

[Administrator]

Complete Question Explanation

Main Point. The correct answer choice is (B).

Answer choice (A):

Answer choice (B): This is the correct answer choice.

Answer choice (C):

Answer choice (D):

Answer choice (E):

This explanation is still in progress. Please post any questions below!

[med2law01]

I got the correct answer. I am just wondering how I can be more confident in my answer by having you explain why E is incorrect. I was thinking that it was incorrect because it uses the words "merely duplicates", which is not what I gleaned from the stimulus. I was wondering if there is something else that makes E wrong as well.

[KelseyWoods]

Hi med2law01!

As you point out, the phrase "merely duplicates" is not fully supported by the stimulus. We know that a computer network serves both the functions of a telephone system and of a public broadcasting network (another issue with (E) is that it uses "television network" when public broadcasting network could refer to radio or television). But that doesn't mean that it "merely" duplicates these functions. It could also serve other functions as well.

But the bigger problem with answer choice (E) is that, even without the phrase "merely duplicates" it would not be a good answer choice for this question. The stem states: "The passage is structured to lead to which one of the following conclusions?" This is not just a Must Be True question--it's a Main Point question! That means we need to identify the main conclusion that all of the premises in the stimulus are leading up to.

Premise 1: If we model the regulation of computer networks on past legislation, then it has to be modeled based on telephones or public broadcasting.
Premise 2: If we model it based on telephones, computer networks only held responsible for transmitting messages.
Premise 3: If we model based on public broadcasting, computer networks only held responsible for message content.
Premise 4: Computer networks serve both the functions of telephones and public broadcasting.
Sub-conclusion: Neither the legislation for telephones nor the legislation for public broadcasting can serve as a model for the regulation of computer networks.

What do these statements all lead to? Well, if we can't use the legislation for telephones or public broadcasting as a model for computer networks, then we can't use previous legislation as a model for computer networks. Premises 2, 3, & 4 support the Sub-conclusion which can then be combined with the contrapositive of Premise 1 to lead to the main conclusion: if we can't model computer network legislation on telephones or public broadcasting legislation, then we can't use past legislation as a model for computer network legislation.

Hope this helps!

Best,
Kelsey

[wisnain]

I'm just wondering if my diagram below is correct. Can I group 'telephone model' and 'responsible only for ensuring that messages get transmitted' together, and similarly, 'public broadcast model' and 'additionally be responsible for the content of those messages' as another unit?

If A(regulation of computer networks is to be modeled on past legislation), then B(telephone=responsible only for ensuring that messages get transmitted)or C(public broadcasting=additionally be responsible for the content of those messages).
A —> B or C

But since ~B and ~C, ~A.
~B and ~C —> ~A.

Also in conditional logic, I thought the phrase "If A, either B or C" typically implies the possibility of both B and C unless specified otherwise (e.g., "but not both"). So, in this scenario, is 'or else' serving a similar function? If not, then it's possible for the regulation to be modeled on both telephone and public broadcasting legislation simultaneously.

One last question on ‘Either A or B’… Why can’t it be diagrammed as: A -> ~B or B -> ~A
But instead it has to be diagrammed: ~A -> B or ~B ->A?

Thank you.

[Dana D]

Hey Wisnain,

I'm not sure what the ~ in your diagram represents, but to answer the first part of your question, yes, you can diagram it as A B or C. The "either/or else" here in the first sentence tells you that if we use past legislation, we have a binary choice of models - either the telephone system or the public broadcasting service. The crux of the argument is that using only one or the other option is insufficient, because they each fail to capture the full scope of what computer networks do.

Going back to the diagram, if we model computer network regulation on past legislation (A) we use a telephone system OR a broadcasting service model. This diagram is fine, but it doesn't really tell us much beyond what that first sentence said - we have two options here. The unstated inference for why using either of the options is insufficient is that each option alone fails to capture all the functions of a computer network, and because of that, the regulation should not be modeled on any single piece of legislation, which is answer choice (B). This answer also leaves open the possibility that you could combine both pieces of past legislation to better capture the role of the computer network's functions and regulate the networks that way - you just shouldn't use a singular piece of legislation

[lsatstudent99966]

Complete Question Explanation

Main Point. The correct answer choice is (B).

Answer choice (A):

Answer choice (B): This is the correct answer choice.

Answer choice (C):

Answer choice (D):

Answer choice (E):

This explanation is still in progress. Please post any questions below!

Hi there,

Even though I got this question right, I'm not really sure what the second to last sentence in the stimulus is trying to say: "Yet a computer network serves both these sorts of functions: it can serves as a private message service. . ."

I'm not sure why the stimulus says that. Are they implying that because the computer network serves both functions, it should be held responsible for both (i.e., it should be held responsible for what the telephone is held responsible for, and it should also be held responsible for what public broadcasting is held responsible for)?

The sudden inference in the last sentence that neither the telephone model nor the public broadcast model is appropriate seems odd to me, since they didn't even specify that the computer network should be held responsible on both counts.

I understand that it doesn't matter. Since this is an MSS question, I'll just have to accept the conclusion in the stimulus and make an inference. But I'm kind of stuck reading the stimulus for a moment because of this, so I'm hoping to make sure I understand it correctly.

[Amber Thomas]

Hi LSATStudent99966!

I get why this may be tricky. I think the relevant comparison is as follows:

Telephones = Private Messages (i.e. communicating directly from one individual to another individual).

Broadcast Networks = Publicly Accessible Information Services (i.e. communicating from one individual to multiple individuals).

Since both models are partially applicable, neither of them by themselves would be appropriate to use-- using just one or the other would be insufficient in regulating the whole of the computer's capabilities.

So our stimulus tells us the following:

If regulating computer networks were to be modeled on past legislation, it would either be based on telephones or public broadcasts. However, since the computer is capable of doing what both telephones and public broadcast does, it would be inappropriate to just use one or the other, as some aspect of the computer's functionality would be missed, and therefore go unregulated. Therefore, based on these premises, it is fair to conclude that we should not use past legislation as a model for regulating computers.

I hope this helps!

[lsatstudent99966]

Hi LSATStudent99966!

I get why this may be tricky. I think the relevant comparison is as follows:

Telephones = Private Messages (i.e. communicating directly from one individual to another individual).

Broadcast Networks = Publicly Accessible Information Services (i.e. communicating from one individual to multiple individuals).

Since both models are partially applicable, neither of them by themselves would be appropriate to use-- using just one or the other would be insufficient in regulating the whole of the computer's capabilities.

So our stimulus tells us the following:

If regulating computer networks were to be modeled on past legislation, it would either be based on telephones or public broadcasts. However, since the computer is capable of doing what both telephones and public broadcast does, it would be inappropriate to just use one or the other, as some aspect of the computer's functionality would be missed, and therefore go unregulated. Therefore, based on these premises, it is fair to conclude that we should not use past legislation as a model for regulating computers.

I hope this helps!

Thank you very much, Amber, that makes sense!

But I just noticed something and had a different thought while reading this again.

In the third sentence, they say that if the broadcast model is used, computer networks will be additionally responsible for the content. That makes it sound like the broadcast model would also require computer networks to do what’s required under the telephone model—but unlike the telephone model, which only requires ensuring the transmission of messages (see sentence 2), the broadcast model would also impose responsibility for the content.

Based on this reading, I think they’re saying the telephone model underregulates (because computers sometimes serve a broadcast function), while the broadcast model overregulates (because computers sometimes serve only a telephone function); for this reason, both models are inappropriate?

[Amber Thomas]

Hi lsatstudent99966!

I see what you mean, and that's a great catch! I would agree with your interpretation of over/under-regulation on either end of the spectrum, that's a good way to think about it, because both options would still be inappropriate.

I hope this helps!

[lsatstudent99966]

Hi lsatstudent99966!

I see what you mean, and that's a great catch! I would agree with your interpretation of over/under-regulation on either end of the spectrum, that's a good way to think about it, because both options would still be inappropriate.

I hope this helps!

Thank you very much Amber!