Necessary AssumptionDiff: Hard
Logic Breakdown
Passage Summary: A psychologist claims that being an older or younger sibling doesn't change your actual personality, it just changes how your family sees you, because family reports show differences that professional tests don't find.
Conclusion: Birth order does not actually influence personality; it only influences how family members perceive a person's behavior.
Reasoning: Standard personality tests show no birth-order effects in adults, whereas reports from parents and siblings do show such effects.
Analysis: The psychologist is dismissing family reports as biased perceptions while treating standard personality tests as the objective truth. The 'Gap' in this argument is the assumption that these standard tests are actually capable of measuring birth-order effects if they existed. If the tests were simply not sensitive enough to detect these specific personality traits, the lack of results wouldn't prove that the effects don't exist. Look for an answer that validates the effectiveness of these standard personality tests in detecting birth-order influences.
Conclusion: Birth order does not actually influence personality; it only influences how family members perceive a person's behavior.
Reasoning: Standard personality tests show no birth-order effects in adults, whereas reports from parents and siblings do show such effects.
Analysis: The psychologist is dismissing family reports as biased perceptions while treating standard personality tests as the objective truth. The 'Gap' in this argument is the assumption that these standard tests are actually capable of measuring birth-order effects if they existed. If the tests were simply not sensitive enough to detect these specific personality traits, the lack of results wouldn't prove that the effects don't exist. Look for an answer that validates the effectiveness of these standard personality tests in detecting birth-order influences.
Passage Stimulus
Passage Redacted
Unlock Full Passage18.Which one of the following is an assumption required by the psychologist's argument?
Correct Answer
A
A is necessary. Negation test: If standard tests would not detect birth-order effects even if those effects exist, then the fact that such tests found nothing gives no support to the conclusion that there are no lasting effects. The argument would collapse without this assumption.
Upgrade Your Prep
Ready to go beyond free explanations?
LSAT Perfection is the #1 modern LSAT prep platform, trusted by thousands of students for comprehensive test strategies, advanced drilling, and full analytics on every PrepTest.
Detailed explanations for 59 PrepTests
Advanced drillset builder
Personalized analytics
Built-in Wrong Answer Journal