Q14 - Editorial: A proposed new law would

[sumukh09]

This is a necessary assumption question as indicated by the question stem. We're required to find an assumption that is necessary in order for the argument presented in the stimulus to hold. Once we've found that assumption within the answer choices, we can negate that assumption to see if it weakens the conclusion. If it does, then that's the correct answer choice.

Core of the Argument:

teachers increased amt. of individual time with student to help engage student in learning process --> average grades of students remained unchanged ---> students do not become more engaged in the learning process


Gap: Relationship between a student's grades and their engagement in the learning process

What MUST BE TRUE in order for the conclusion to hold?

D) states this nicely. "Degree of of student engagement in the learning process correlates well with students' average grades."

If we negate that then we get "degree of student engagement in the learning process DOES NOT correlated well with students' average grades."

If it DOES NOT correlate, then the conclusion that students do not become more engaged in the learning process as evidenced by their grades cannot hold.

[ManhattanPrepLSAT1]

Great explanation!

I think I'll just run through incorrect answers:

Incorrect Answers
(A) is out of scope. We don't even know that either the schools affected by the proposed law would be large elementary schools or that the study conducted by researchers was at a large elementary school.
(B) supports the idea that students would get more personal attention, but doesn't address the gap whether that attention would lead to students who are more engaged in the learning process.
(C) is irrelevant since the number of students would still be capped at 20 per teacher. This should be a increase in personal attention.
(E) is irrelevant. This doesn't actually mean that there will be increased student engagement.

[tara_amber1]

These explanations are great, but I still don't understand what the main conclusion is here to base my answer choices off of. To me it seems there are two different sides of the argument, and I'm confused because it seems that D is required by the parents' argument but not the researchers. How do you know to consolidate the two arguments? Or is this the gap/assumption that we have to link?

[ehampton]

I would like to know the answer to this question as well as that seems to be my issue.

These explanations are great, but I still don't understand what the main conclusion is here to base my answer choices off of. To me it seems there are two different sides of the argument, and I'm confused because it seems that D is required by the parents' argument but not the researchers. How do you know to consolidate the two arguments? Or is this the gap/assumption that we have to link?

[maryadkins]

The question is asking about the researchers' argument, not the parents's argument (see the question stem). The researchers' conclusion is that students do not become more engaged in the learning process: "conclude from their results that THIS REASONING IS QUESTIONABLE."

Meaning, the students aren't more engaged in smaller classes...