#3 - Genevieve: Increasing costs have led commercial

[Administrator]

Complete Question Explanation

Parallel Reasoning. The correct answer choice is (D)

In this dialogue, Genevieve makes the claim that flying has become less safe, and Harold questions this assertion, based on the fact that Genevieve herself flies with increasing frequency. Harold’s argument is quite weak; the fact that Genevieve may need to fly does not call into question her claims that flying is becoming less safe.

The question stem asks for the answer choice which relies on a similarly flawed line of reasoning; the right answer will likely reflect skepticism based on the behavior of the source. Only correct answer choice (D) manifests a similar line of reasoning: skepticism of Pat’s claims, based on the mere fact that she does not follow her own advice. This is quite similar to the flawed logic in the stimulus, wherein the behavior of the source is used as the basis of skepticism of that person’s claims.

All of the other answer choices reflect reasonable arguments, so they cannot parallel the flawed reasoning from the stimulus dialogue.

[Johnclem]

Hi,
I am having trouble seeing why A wrong. -specifically how is it any different from D?


1- David says the film isn't good
2- but he has not seen it .
I don't accept his opinion

I'm thinking Just because he has not seen it , doesn't mean his opinion is wrong. Maybe he heard from his best friend or read reviews on it.


d)
1) she showed me that eating vegetables is beneficial. And that one should eat them.
2) she hardly ever eats
I don't believe pat.


Thanks
John

[Clay Cooper]

Hi johnclem,

Thanks for your question.

This is a parallel flaw question, so we need to find the answer choice which exhibits the same flaw that we see in the argument in the stimulus. What is that flaw?

It is that Harold rejects a conclusion (that he admits is supported by sound reasoning) based on the conduct of the person advancing it.

A does not exhibit this flaw. It is rejecting an opinion for NOT being supported by sound reasoning, but for being the product of hearsay.

D does exhibit this flaw - I don't believe what she says about vegetables being healthy because she doesn't eat them - and is therefore correct.

Did you try to identify the question type here? That is where you should start on every LR question.

[bk1111]

Hi, can someone explain why C is incorrect? I thought it followed a similar line of reasoning as the stimulus:

Susan claims activity is safe, but her action and her breaking her collarbone contradict her claim.

[Shannon Parker]

Hi, can someone explain why C is incorrect? I thought it followed a similar line of reasoning as the stimulus:

Susan claims activity is safe, but her action and her breaking her collarbone contradict her claim.

In the stimulus Genevieve makes a claim that she supports with evidence. Harold rejects the claim because Genevieve does not act in accordance with it. There are two ways in which answer choice C does not parallel the stimulus. First it does not offer any evidence for Susan's claim that rock climbing is safe. Second, the person rejecting the claim does not reject it because Susan does not go rock climbing, rather he rejects it based on the evidence of her falling and breaking her collarbone.

Hope this clears it up.

Shannon

[deck1134]

Hi PowerScore,

Why is B wrong on this question?

My prephrase was: "It's wrong because she doesn't do it herself."

I narrowed it down to B and D, and thought that they looked identical.

[Adam Tyson]

Two elements in B that don't match the stimulus, Deck. First, "a long time ago," while the stimulus is about recent behavior. It was the recent behavior in the stimulus that mattered, because it is about recent changes to the airline industry. Second, the author in answer B doesn't conclude that Maria's conclusion is wrong because, first, she doesn't have a conclusion, and second, the author simply said he will comply with her new dietary restrictions and not that Maria isn't genuine in her dietary beliefs.

[andriana.caban]

Hi!

Why is (E) incorrect? I narrowed it down to (D) or (E).

When identifying the flaw, I wrote that Harold implies Genevieve is contradicting herself without appropriate evidence that he is doing so as Genevieve might have other reason for flying a plan (let's say she's visiting family more frequently now).

I'm having trouble applying the flaw I've identified to the answer choices and find that although I identify it correctly (or, understand the author's general structure of the argument) I don't know what the correct answer should look like. Of course, I just need to practice these types of questions more but I found that the Bible didn't help me much in this section and I'm having more trouble than normal. Any advice?

[KelseyWoods]

Hi Andriana!

The flaw in Harold's argument is not quite that he implies Genevieve is contradicting herself without appropriate evidence that she is doing so. The real flaw is that he's even bringing up the fact that she may be contradicting herself at all.

Harold's response to Genevieve is a Source Argument (or ad hominem argument). You can find out more about Source Arguments in the Flaw in the Reasoning chapter of the Logical Reasoning Bible. Basically, he is attacking Genevieve's argument on the basis of her own personal actions, rather than on the basis of her reasoning. He even says that her reasoning is sound but then goes on to say he's going to ignore it just because she doesn't follow her own advice. Think about a doctor telling you about all the medical science that backs up the importance of healthy eating habits and you saying "well Dr., I've seen you eat a hamburger and fries so clearly all of the scientific evidence that backs up your claim is incorrect." Even if a person doesn't act in keeping with their argument, that doesn't mean that their argument is invalid.

With a better understanding of the flaw, it becomes clear that answer choice (D) is correct. In it, the author doesn't believe the research Pat shows him about the benefits of raw vegetables simply because Pat herself does not frequently eat raw vegetables. Pat's personal actions have nothing to do with whether or not her argument about the benefits of eating raw vegetables is correct so the author has made another Source Argument just like Harold did.

In answer choice (E), there is no Source Argument. In this case, Gabriel's past performance is relevant to the argument because the argument is about whether he should be hired. So it isn't about his actions contradicting his beliefs. It's about whether he would be a good employee.

Hope this helps!

Best,
Kelsey