#12 - Art student: Great works of art evoke passionate

[Administrator]

Complete Question Explanation

Flaw in the Reasoning. The correct answer choice is (B).

Answer choice (A):

Answer choice (B): This is the correct answer choice.

Answer choice (C):

Answer choice (D):

Answer choice (E):

This explanation is still in progress. Please post any questions below!

[winter19]

I picked up two flaws in this stimulus: (1) the obvious mistaken reversal and (2) the student goes from talking about a general group-- those who view [art] to a specific group -- those in art circles

Frustratingly, both were present in the answer choices. (B) described the mistaken reversal so I picked it, but (C) described the second flaw. A "member of a class" are those who view art whereas a "atypical instance of that class" would be those who are in art circles, who can be expected to have a different reaction than a general viewer of art.

How should I have chosen when it seemed like two flaws were being described by the answer choices?

[Dana D]

Hey Winter,

The flaw described in answer choice (C) is not present in the stimulus because there are not two classes being described here. "Those who view art" is not a separate class, the stimulus is saying anyone who lays eyes on these types of great works of art will have a passionate response. In this way, the author is setting up the viewing of the art as a sufficient condition which will will be accompanied by a passionate response. Being in a art circle might be a class, but more likely in this context it indicates that these are people who look at art (and therefore meet the sufficient condition of viewing the art).

But I see how this could be a close call between answer choices, so to address your second question of what to do when you think you see two flaws: try addressing the flaw and see if the stimulus still has issues. So here, let's correct the flaw in answer choice (C) and re-write the stimulus to say "Thus, since it is well known by those who view art that the provocative work..."

If we make the two groups the same - both times talking about people who view art - is the flaw in the stimulus now rectified?

No.

We still have the issue identified in answer choice (B) - the flaw of mistaking a necesary condition as sufficient. Therefore, the actual flaw in this stimulus can't be coming from answer choice (C), it's coming from answer choice (B).

hope that helps!

[winter19]

Addressing one flaw to see if the stimulus still has issues is so helpful, I don't know why I didn't think of it in the moment. Thank you so much