Which of the following most accurately describes this conclusion?

Question

Luke and Matt are planning on going out to see a movie this Saturday. If they see a science fiction movie Matt will be bored, but if they see a horror movie Luke will find it too scary. Therefore either Matt or Luke won’t be happy with whatever movie they choose to see. Which of the following most accurately describes this conclusion?

 

 

A) It assumes that both Luke and Matt can't choose to see different movies.
B) It claims that science fiction movies aren't entertaining.
C) It assumes that the only two kinds of movies available are science fiction and horror.
D) Both B and C
E) Both A and C
F) None of the above is accurate.

Answer 1

(F) is certainly true here, and in a way that's directly relevant to the LSAT (though an LSAT argument would never be written so carelessly). The scope of the conclusion has to do with the "happiness with a film" of the two friends -- a term that never appears in the evidence. We cannot infer, logically speaking, that someone who is bored at a movie, or someone who is "too scared" at one, is unhappy with that movie. The LSAT-worthy takeaway is: Always pay attention to the scope of the argument as defined by the author. We can only assess an argument within those terms.

Answer 2

Interesting - the correct answer, to my way of thinking, should be A *or* C, but it is not clear that (F) 'none are accurate' is what they want here. That phrasing is ambiguous.

 

My thinking: Either A or C, individually, are assumptions that would lead to the stated conclusion. But they if both are assumed at the same time,  C makes A irrelevant and therefor not an assumption with any bearing On the conclusion. At a minimum, we could say that if C is being assumed, whether or not A is assumed is unknowable from the given information, (but again, is irrelevant anyway).