#18 - Everyone who is a gourmet cook enjoys a wide variety

[Administrator]

Complete Question Explanation

Parallel Reasoning. The correct answer choice is (B)

Since this stimulus uses words such as "everyone" and "no-one," you should realize that Double the Conclusion and the Premise Test can help. If needed, you can use formal logic to understand the remaining choices.

The first premise uses "everyone," which is an "all" concept.

The second premise uses "no-one," which is a "none" concept.

The conclusion uses "anyone... is not," which is a "none" concept.

Remember that, aside from those concepts, you can also track whether the elements related are parallel.

Also, since the logic in the stimulus is formally valid, you can eliminate flawed responses.

Answer choice (A): This answer can be eliminated immediately, because it fails the Premise Test. The stimulus says "no-one," which eliminates a class of people, but this response contains no such elimination.

Answer choice (B): This is the correct answer choice. The logical wording is doubled, and the elements are also in the proper relationships. There was no need to diagram, because the other choices can be eliminated without recourse to formal logic diagrams.

Answer choice (C): This answer choice contains the same combination of "all" and "none" concepts, so is worth a closer look. The stimulus starts off with "all gourmet cooks," and involves them in the conclusion. This choice begins with "all Huang collection paintings" but does not make a conclusion about those paintings, so this response is incorrect. Also, the reasoning is flawed.

Answer choice (D): This choice is worth a closer look. However, it is wrong for the same reason as answer choice (C): in the end it fails the conclusion test. This choice starts off with "all post-impressionist paintings," but does not involve them in the conclusion.

Answer choice (E): This choice is also worth a closer look. There is a subtlety that makes this choice incorrect: you should not assume that the only paintings present at the auction are from the Huang Collection. This response begins with "all paintings from the Huang collection that will be auctioned" and ends with "no paintings that will be auctioned."

[BrettKobes]

Can you help e diagram this problem please?

This is what I did:

Gourmet Cook ---> Enjoy wide spread variety of foods and spices

Enjoy a wide spread of foods and spices <---|---> bland foods

Bland Foods ----> Gourmet cook NOT

Is there anything wrong with that?

the correct answer is B and I diagrammed it like this:

Huang Paintings ---> Abstract

Huang Painting ---> Included in art auction NOT

included in art auction ----> Huang Painting NOT

I dont understand

[Emily Haney-Caron]

Hi Brett,

Your diagram of the stimulus is correct. B, however, would be diagrammed like this:

in Huang Collection ---> abstract painting

abstract painting <---|---> Included in art auction

included in art auction ----> Huang Painting NOT

It is therefore parallel to the reasoning in the stimulus. "No abstract painting will be included in next week's art auction" means that if a painting is abstract, it can't be included in the auction, and if it is included in the auction, it can't be abstract. Does that help?

Emily

[BrettKobes]

Ugh, Yes thank you - I missed the NOT on the necessary condition makes that statement a double not statement for the second statement in answer B! Thank you

[kristinaroz93]

The question starts off by saying, "Everyone who is a gourmet cook enjoys a wide variety of foods and spices.."

The explanation for this problem shows how to eliminate all wrong answer choices by showing how they do not align with one of the component stimulus terms of "everyone" "no one" and "anyone...is not", or either starting off by talking about one topic and then not concluding with that same topic. E.g. Choice D talks about post impressionist paintings and then ends with talking about pop art paintings. However, I am struggling to see how choice E was elminated. Any further insight into this would be appreciated.

Best,

Kristina

[David Boyle]

The question starts off by saying, "Everyone who is a gourmet cook enjoys a wide variety of foods and spices.."

The explanation for this problem shows how to eliminate all wrong answer choices by showing how they do not align with one of the component stimulus terms of "everyone" "no one" and "anyone...is not", or either starting off by talking about one topic and then not concluding with that same topic. E.g. Choice D talks about post impressionist paintings and then ends with talking about pop art paintings. However, I am struggling to see how choice E was elminated. Any further insight into this would be appreciated.

Best,

Kristina

Hello Kristina,

Diagramming answer E,

panw(subscript HC) ma ; ma slash pr ; panw slash pr . (Huang Collection paintings to be auctioned next week are major art; major art can't be adequately priced; next week's painting auction's prices won't be adequate)

Diagramming the stimulus,

gc ewv ; ewv slash pbf ; pbf slash gc. (Gourmet cook enjoys wide variety; wide variety means not prefer bland; prefer bland means not gourmet cook)

This is a more "circular" (though valid) sort of reasoning than in answer E. I.e., it circles back to the beginning and shows that what you had originally (gourmet cook) is not there (if you prefer bland food). In answer E, it's almost a repeat form, or a sort of reverse syllogism.
That is, a syllogism is like, "All men are mortal, Socrates is a man, Socrates is mortal." With answer E, it's like, "Some paintings (Huang) are impossible to price, those paintings are being auctioned next week, so the whole auction can't have perfect pricing (since a subset, the Huang major art, can't be adequately priced)."
So, even if both the stimulus and answer E have valid reasoning, E's reasoning isn't that parallel to the stimulus.

Hope this helps,
David

[Sophia123]

Hi!

I am still a bit confused on the diagramming of E given in the post above. The first sentence was fine, but I got a bit stuck on diagramming the second and third sentences. This is what I had:

Sentence 2: Price NOT adequately reflect major work of art
Sentence 3: Price auction NOT adequately reflect paintings sold

I originally just eliminated this answer choice because I did not see the element "painting from Huang collection" in the conclusion, which was a characteristic of the stimulus, but I would like to make sure I understand the diagramming structure of this answer choice as well.

Thank you in advance!

[Francis O'Rourke]

Hi Sophia,

We need to do a little work with the second sentence to correctly express what the statement is telling us, since the grammar of the sentence is relatively complicated.

The first step is to identify if there is an idea of certainty being communicated here. We know that whenever we have a major work of art, something else must happen. What do we know when we have a major work of art? We know that the the price will not reflect its true value. So let's put that into the form of if X, then Y:

If we have a major work of art, then it's price will not reflect its true value Now we can diagram the statement as follows:

Major Work Art Price Reflects True Value
Price Reflects True Value Major Work Art

You were likely close enough with your diagram to correctly eliminate this question, but clarifying what the two conditions were will help us with getting through this answer choice more quickly.

[jessicamorehead]

I got the right answer and diagrammed each answer choice, but I had a hard time diagramming answer choice E's conclusion. I understand that we can knock this answer out because we cannot assume that every painting at the auction is from the Huang collection. However, I still want to understand the diagramming aspect for future purposes.


I understand how the premises combined into the following: PHC auctioned next week Major work of art ~Price reflects value

I cannot wrap my head around diagramming the conclusion, "Hence, the prices that will be paid at next week's auction will not adequately reflect the true value of the paintings sold." I know the NOT applies to the necessary side, but which is the sufficient and which is the necessary?

Prices paid at next week's auction ~adequately reflect true value of paintings sold

VS

Adequately reflect true value or painting sold ~Prices paid at next week's auction

I'm leaning towards the second one, but I just want to be completely certain on how to diagram this. Any help is appreciated, thanks!

[Jamena Pirone]

Hi Jessica,

You ask which of those diagrams would be considered correct, but they are both correct. Take another look, they are contrapositives of each other!