Bunuel wrote:
Reducing stress lessens a person’s sensitivity to pain. This is the conclusion reached by researchers who played extended audiotapes to patients before they underwent surgery and afterward while they were recovering. One tape consisted of conversation; the other consisted of music. Those who listened only to the latter tape required less anesthesia during surgery and fewer painkillers afterward than those who listened only to the former tape.
Which one of the following is an assumption on which the researchers’ reasoning depends?
(A) All of the patients in the study listened to the same tape before surgery as they listened to after surgery.
(B) Anticipating surgery is no less stressful than recovering from surgery.
(C) Listening to music reduces stress.
(D) The psychological effects of music are not changed by anesthesia or painkillers.
(E) Both anesthesia and painkillers tend to reduce stress.
Project CR Butler: Critical Reasoning
For all CR butler Questions Click HereEXPLANATION FROM Fox LSAT
The evidence is about music vs. conversation, but the conclusion is about
stress. So the researchers have assumed that the music was less stressful than the
conversation.
A) Not what we’re looking for.
B) Not what we’re looking for.
C) Bingo. If music does not reduce stress, then why would the study indicate that reducing stress lessens sensitivity to pain? This answer choice must be true or else the argument fails. That’s the hallmark of a necessary assumption.
D) This is tough to pass up, but we don’t have to worry about it because C is so much cleaner, and obviously must be true in order for the argument to make sense. If we wanted to get picky with D, we could say, “No, the argument doesn’t assume anesthesia/painkillers have no impact on the psychological effects of music; they could make music more or less helpful and the conclusion that listening to music/stress reduction lessened pain would still stand.” Anyway, C is better.
E) No, anesthesia and painkillers probably reduce
pain primarily, and they don’t have to do so via stress reduction in order for the argument to make sense.
Our answer is C.