December 2011 LSAT Section 3 Question 12

The passage provides the most support for inferring which one of the following statements?

kens on March 19, 2020

question 12

I don't quite understand why D could be the answer. In the passage it says, "but most color photographs become unstable within 40 years, and videotapes last only about 20 years."

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BenMingov on March 19, 2020

Hi Kenken, thanks for the question.

Answer choice D states the following:

Media used recently to store information electronically may ultimately be less durable than older, conventional media such as photographs and videotapes.

In reading the passage, it seems that the direct support for this inference is provided in the form of an example.

As you mentioned, most colour photographs become unstable within 40 years and videotapes last about 20 years.

In looking at line 31, we see that "and recent generations of digital storage tape are considered safe from deterioration for only ten years."

This is definitely less than 20 years and 40 years of durability.

I hope this helps. Please let me know if you have any other questions!