PrepTest 120, Section 3, Question 15
In a study, parents were asked to rate(70 more words not shown)
Each of the following, if(10 more words not shown)
- AChildren who are(22 more words not shown)
- BWhen parents watch(18 more words not shown)
- CParents who rated(21 more words not shown)
- DChildren learn from(26 more words not shown)
- EParents who do(29 more words not shown)
Reading the argument
Maybe the children are copying what they watch. I can see how a child who enjoys televised fighting might carry some of that behavior into school.
That is one possible explanation, not a conclusion the study has established. We have a relationship: children whose programs received higher violence ratings were more likely to be disciplined. Perhaps television affects behavior. But perhaps those children attend schools that discipline more readily, or another difference between the groups helps explain the pattern.
The ratings deserve care too. Parents supply them, and one parent's idea of a very violent program might differ from another's. We should follow what was actually measured: parents' ratings and recorded discipline, not an independently verified measure of each child's aggression.
What we’re looking for
This is another EXCEPT question. Four answers help explain the relationship; find the one that doesn't. An answer can work by explaining why the higher-rated group receives more discipline or why the lower-rated group receives less. We don't have to force every explanation into the same cause.
Working the answers
- A
This supplies a path from the programs to discipline. Children who become accustomed to exciting action may find ordinary schoolwork boring and act out. A child doesn't need to copy a televised fight exactly; disruptive behavior prompted by boredom could be enough to get disciplined. A therefore helps explain the pattern.
- B
Watching with a parent could make the behavior seem approved or acceptable. If that changes how children behave, it helps explain why watching violent programs could go along with more trouble at school. The answer gives a possible mechanism; it doesn't have to explain every child's experience.
- CCorrect
Desensitized parents might understate how violent the programs are. Then some children in the supposedly low-violence group could actually be seeing considerable violence. That raises a question about the ratings, but it doesn't explain why that group has less discipline than the group with higher ratings.
The problem isn't simply that C discusses the lower-rated group. E does that usefully. C explains a possible misclassification without connecting it to the observed difference in discipline.
- D
Learning to disregard rules against violence gives the children a reason to disregard school rules too. That connects what they watch with behavior that would lead to discipline. It is a direct explanation of why the higher-violence group could have the higher disciplinary rate.
- E
Parents who restrict violent viewing also pay closer attention to other behavior. That gives the lower-violence group another reason to stay out of trouble. The television itself wouldn't have to cause the entire difference; broader parental supervision could help explain both restricted viewing and fewer disciplinary problems.
More Paradox questions
Learn the LSAT our way
Our platform drills Paradox questions at your level and adjusts as you improve.