Logical ReasoningDifficulty: Easy

PT12 S4 Q2 Explanation

For the past 13 years

A free, expert breakdown of this official LSAT Logical Reasoning question.

TopicsNecessary Assumption

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Stimulus

For the past 13 years, high school guidance counselors nationwide have implemented an aggressive program to convince high school students to select careers requiring college degrees. The government reported that the percentage of last year’s high school graduates who went on to college was 15 percent greater than the percentage of those counselors concluded from this report that the program had been successful.

What this question is testing

Necessary Assumption

Your task

Find the assumption the argument requires in order for its conclusion to hold.

Common trap

Answers that would help the argument but aren't strictly required (sufficient, not necessary).

Winning move

Negate each choice — the right one breaks the argument when negated.

Reading along? Open the full official question in LawHub — we show a fragment here and keep the reasoning in our own words.

The question
2.

The guidance counselors’ reasoning depends on which one of the following assumptions about

Answer choices

  1. Trap10% picked this

    The number of graduates who went on to college remained constant each year during

  2. Trap0% picked this

    Any college courses that the graduates take will improve their

  3. Trap1% picked this

    Some of the graduates who went on to college never received guidance from a

  4. Trap6% picked this

    There has been a decrease in the number of graduates who go on to college

  5. Correct83% picked this

    Many of last year’s graduates who went on to college did so in order to prepare for

    Why this is right

    Answer E is correct.

    Skill tested: Necessary Assumption · how this choice captures the argument's function is the move to repeat next time.

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