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- Mon Sep 19, 2016 11:00 pm
#33413
Complete Question Explanation
Weaken. The correct answer choice is (E)
A magazine survey asked readers whether they enjoyed a particular novel. Most of those who listened to a taped reading of the novel enjoyed it, while most of those who read the novel didn’t. From these results, the author concludes that a person who listens to a taped recording of a novel is more likely to enjoy it than a person who merely reads it.
The author engages in inductive reasoning, drawing a probabilistic conclusion on the basis of a single survey result. The argument is quite weak. For one thing, it generalizes from a sample that is too small, and potentially unrepresentative of how most readers feel about most other novels. Note, however, that there is no causal fallacy at play, because no causal assertions have been made. The author never argued, for instance, that listening to a taped recording of a novel makes us enjoy the novel more. Rather, both the premise and the conclusion only assert a correlation. The problem is one of overgeneralization, not of inferring a causal relationship from a mere correlation.
Answer choice (A): We need not decipher the convoluted language of this answer choice, because it does not address the error of generalization prephrased earlier: this fact alone is sufficient to eliminate it. If we dig a little deeper, we realize that if most readers had never listened to the novel (and, likewise, most listeners had never read it), this would ensure that both groups were equally unfamiliar with the novel before reading (or listening to) it. This has a moderately strengthening effect on the conclusion, because it eliminates the possibility that the survey may be biased.
Answer choice (B): The fact that reading a novel takes less time than listening to a taped reading of it does not affect the comparative likelihood of enjoying the novel. We have no way of knowing whether, or how, the length of time we spend with the novel affects our ability to enjoy it.
Answer choice (C): This answer choice describes people’s general tendency to enjoy the novels they come across, whether they read them or listen to them on tape. This finding has no impact on the conclusion, because it applies to both groups of respondents equally: it is entirely possible that those who listen to a taped reading of a novel enjoy it more than those who read it, even if both groups are more likely to enjoy the novel than not to enjoy it.
Answer choice (D): The comparative availability of novels in text vs. audio versions has no bearing on the question at hand. The conclusion is about who is likely to enjoy the novel more (readers or listeners), not who has easier access to a suitable version of the novel.
Answer choice (E): This is the correct answer choice. If the novel in question included dialogue in different dialects that are more understandable when heard than when read, this would explain why most respondents expressed preference for the taped recording of the novel. Clearly, listening to this particular novel on tape is more enjoyable than reading it. However, note that the novel in question is “unlike most other novels,” suggesting the survey results cannot be generalized. This answer choice agrees with our prephrase, and directly weakens the conclusion of the argument by showing that the survey may be unrepresentative of general sentiment.
Weaken. The correct answer choice is (E)
A magazine survey asked readers whether they enjoyed a particular novel. Most of those who listened to a taped reading of the novel enjoyed it, while most of those who read the novel didn’t. From these results, the author concludes that a person who listens to a taped recording of a novel is more likely to enjoy it than a person who merely reads it.
The author engages in inductive reasoning, drawing a probabilistic conclusion on the basis of a single survey result. The argument is quite weak. For one thing, it generalizes from a sample that is too small, and potentially unrepresentative of how most readers feel about most other novels. Note, however, that there is no causal fallacy at play, because no causal assertions have been made. The author never argued, for instance, that listening to a taped recording of a novel makes us enjoy the novel more. Rather, both the premise and the conclusion only assert a correlation. The problem is one of overgeneralization, not of inferring a causal relationship from a mere correlation.
Answer choice (A): We need not decipher the convoluted language of this answer choice, because it does not address the error of generalization prephrased earlier: this fact alone is sufficient to eliminate it. If we dig a little deeper, we realize that if most readers had never listened to the novel (and, likewise, most listeners had never read it), this would ensure that both groups were equally unfamiliar with the novel before reading (or listening to) it. This has a moderately strengthening effect on the conclusion, because it eliminates the possibility that the survey may be biased.
Answer choice (B): The fact that reading a novel takes less time than listening to a taped reading of it does not affect the comparative likelihood of enjoying the novel. We have no way of knowing whether, or how, the length of time we spend with the novel affects our ability to enjoy it.
Answer choice (C): This answer choice describes people’s general tendency to enjoy the novels they come across, whether they read them or listen to them on tape. This finding has no impact on the conclusion, because it applies to both groups of respondents equally: it is entirely possible that those who listen to a taped reading of a novel enjoy it more than those who read it, even if both groups are more likely to enjoy the novel than not to enjoy it.
Answer choice (D): The comparative availability of novels in text vs. audio versions has no bearing on the question at hand. The conclusion is about who is likely to enjoy the novel more (readers or listeners), not who has easier access to a suitable version of the novel.
Answer choice (E): This is the correct answer choice. If the novel in question included dialogue in different dialects that are more understandable when heard than when read, this would explain why most respondents expressed preference for the taped recording of the novel. Clearly, listening to this particular novel on tape is more enjoyable than reading it. However, note that the novel in question is “unlike most other novels,” suggesting the survey results cannot be generalized. This answer choice agrees with our prephrase, and directly weakens the conclusion of the argument by showing that the survey may be unrepresentative of general sentiment.