Historian: Radio drama requires its listeners to think about what they

Question

Historian: Radio drama requires its listeners to think about what they hear, picturing for themselves such dramatic elements as characters’ physical appearances and spatial relationships. Hence, while earlier generations, for whom radio drama was the dominant form of popular entertainment, regularly exercised their imaginations, today’s generation of television viewers do so less frequently.

Which one of the following is an assumption required by the historian’s argument?

(A) People spend as much time watching television today as people spent listening to radio in radio’s heyday.

(B) The more familiar a form of popular entertainment becomes, the less likely its consumers are to exercise their imaginations.

(C) Because it inhibits the development of creativity, television is a particularly undesirable form of popular entertainment.

(D) For today’s generation of television viewers, nothing fills the gap left by radio as a medium for exercising the imagination.

(E) Television drama does not require its viewers to think about what they see.

Source: LSAT 60

carolinexi · Accepted Answer

I was also stuck between D and E, and then realized that probably the key here is 'imagination' and not just mere 'thinking'. Because D plugs in the gap about the lack of imagination, whereas E is just making a generalised statement, requiring us to make the additional assumption that 'thinking' about something must be a part of 'imagination', I went for D.

SonalSinha803 · Answer

I would go with option D as it clearly states the assumption as to why the author thinks that today's generation use less of their imagination.

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stickman · Answer

Is E wrong because of the 'drama' bit after Television? In the argument we are concerned with tv viewers, but the AC narrows it to TV drama viewers?

stickman · Answer

Ah yes - okay that is a much stronger case for why E is wrong than what I had thought.

Tanya678929 · Answer

Between E and D: E contradicts the information in the para. The para says "today’s generation of television viewers exercise their imagination less frequently". Nowhere it says that the tv viewers don't exercise the imagination at all. Also, the language of E makes a bit of broader stretch from "using imagination" wording to "not think about what they see". All from above makes E incorrect.

Arro44 · Answer

nightblade354

Mate, I think I found another LSAT problem.

(I come across most of these via the "Daily Practice Questions" functions)

Regards,
Chris

grb26 · Answer

I will go with option D as it talks about imagination, option E instead talks about thinking.

nightblade354 · Answer

Bumping this one for discussion as well. Really a great LSAT question that forces you to not make further assumptions.

GmatPrime · Answer

Dissecting given options:
A). No comparison of time given. Out of scope.
B). Again, not stated anywhere. Out of scope.
C). Judgement. Not in the passage.
D). Let's counter this: If something else is filling the gap and lets people exercise their imaginations (eg.- iPad, smartphones, PC, etc.); then only would the author's argument be valid. This is precisely the option we are looking for.  CORRECT .
E). It says ' does not ' whereas the author is assuming ' less than what radio drama does '. You get the point.

Hope it helps.

GmatPrime · Answer

D). Let's counter this: If something else is filling the gap and lets people exercise their imaginations (eg.- iPad, smartphones, PC, etc.); then only would the author's argument be valid. This is precisely the option we are looking for.  CORRECT .
E). It says  'does not'  whereas the author is assuming  'less than what radio drama does' . You get the point.

Hope it helps.

popovarseniy · Answer

I can't grasp why D. As I've understood, the argument says that viewers do exercises of imagination merely less frequently; it doesn't mean that people stopped doing the picturing. If we negate option D, it says "something fills the gap left by radio as a medium for exercising the imagination" So what? Something fills the gap but probably people are not interested in picturing dramatic elements?

Abhishek009 · Answer

The author states : People are not using creative power/imagination for visualizing characters’ physical appearances and spatial relationships in today’s generation of television viewers as they did during the radio listeners of earlier times... Now comes the point : Mark the word , today’s generation of television viewers , it doesn't mention TV viewers, it generalizes hence, generation of television viewers may include iPad users , smartphones users , PC users , etc. and mark my words there are opportunities for imagination.... What do you say about an Audio Book ? (There are many here https://www.loyalbooks.com/ ).... Thus, (D) can not be negated and must be our Answer !!!!

CEdward · Answer

Man these LSAT questions are tough. Can someone explain why B is incorrect?

Historian: Radio drama requires its listeners to think about what they hear, picturing for themselves such dramatic elements as characters’ physical appearances and spatial relationships. Hence, while earlier generations, for whom radio drama was the dominant form of popular entertainment, regularly exercised their imaginations, today’s generation of television viewers do so less frequently.

Which one of the following is an assumption required by the historian’s argument?

(A) People spend as much time watching television today as people spent listening to radio in radio’s heyday.

No...the argument involves a comparison between radio listeners and tv watchers and suggests that earlier generations exercised their imaginations more frequently b/c they had to think about what they heard. The assumption has to somehow bridge these ideas. There’s a leap in logic here. That people spend as much time watching tv today as those listening to radio yesterday does not drive this argument forward and there is no logical connection.

(B) The more familiar a form of popular entertainment becomes, the less likely its consumers are to exercise their imaginations.

Correct! What tv viewers have in front of them are visuals…they are not conditioned to use their imaginations as often as those who listen to the radio b/c presumably the content of the programs that they watch are defined by enduring features (e.g. the same character will often wear the same clothes, live on the same street, etc.)

(C) Because it inhibits the development of creativity, television is a particularly undesirable form of popular entertainment.

This is plausible, but it doesn’t help to tie the argument together. We’re still left wondering why tv viewers use their imaginations less frequently.

(D) For today’s generation of television viewers, nothing fills the gap left by radio as a medium for exercising the imagination.

This seems to strengthen the argument, but again how did I get to the conclusion?

(E) Television drama does not require its viewers to think about what they see.

This is about as tempting as a choice could possibly get. I didn’t pick this one because fundamentally the conclusion is about exercising one’s imagination. It’s possible that one can think about what they see yet not use imagination. So for that reason, we can negate this and the argument would still work.

P: Radio drama requires listeners to think
C: Earlier generations regularly exercised imaginations and today’s tv viewers do so less

unraveled · Answer

Historian: Radio drama requires its listeners to think about what they hear, picturing for themselves such dramatic elements as characters’ physical appearances and spatial relationships. Hence, while earlier generations, for whom radio drama was the dominant form of popular entertainment, regularly exercised their imaginations, today’s generation of television viewers do so less frequently.

Which one of the following is an assumption required by the historian’s argument?

(A) People  spend as much time  watching television today as people spent listening to radio in radio’s heyday.

(B) The  more familiar  a form of popular entertainment becomes, the less likely its consumers are to exercise their imaginations.

(C) Because it inhibits the development of creativity, television is a particularly  undesirable form  of popular entertainment.

(D) For today’s generation of television viewers, nothing fills the gap left by radio as a medium for exercising the imagination.

(E) Television drama  does not require its viewers to think  about what they see.

Clearly, D and E are the two contenders. The difference between two forms of entertainment is that one requires its listeners to think about what they hear, picturing for themselves such dramatic elements as characters’ physical appearances and spatial relationships and other(TV) does not.
Note that TV viewers do think but 'less frequently' - here it plays a role of modifier for exercising imaginations - compared o Radio listeners.

Hence E with its strong words that TV drama does not require them to think is plain wrong. This was tough one though between the two though.

Answer D.

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Historian: Radio drama requires its listeners to think about what they

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