#2 - Council president: Councilmember Smith has proposed a new city

[Administrator]

Complete Question Explanation

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

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

Answer choice (B):

Answer choice (C):

Answer choice (D):

Answer choice (E):

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

[TootyFrooty]

I got the correct answer but I'd like to know why B couldn't be it?

[Dana D]

Hey Tooty,

Remember that for flaw questions, we need to both identify something that is actually an argument flaw and confirm that it is a flaw that is actually occuring in this stimulus.

Answer choice (B) says the argument "takes a single fact that is incompatible with a claim as enough to show that claim to be false."

When considering answer choice (B) - what would the claim be that we are trying to prove false in this case? We have 4 separate claims/sentences in this stimulus, but none of which the argument is trying to say is false. What would the fact incompatible with one of the claims be? This answer choice simply does not describe what is happening in the stiumulus.

[dshen123]

Why is A attacking the source? I thought it gave merit of what the source did to back up the argument? The source's actions were incompatible with the sales tactics therefore the claim of the tactics being correct must be false? When they refer to the claim, that only apply to the conclusion of the argument?

[Dana D]

Hey Dshen,

Here the "source" is Councilmember Smith. The council president wants to dismiss Smith's proposal just because Smith, who previously used a "bait and switch tactic" at his store, introduced it. The president doesn't give any other reasoning for dismissing the proposal, and the president's argument doesn't make sense - he condems Smith's use of bait and switch, but now that Smith is trying to introduce a proposal that would ban this practice, the president wants to dismiss it! If this is such a bad practice, why would the president dismiss the proposal without even considering it?

The actual answer to that question is (again) because Smith is the one proposing it - that's what the president has an issue with, and that's the flaw here.

Hope that helps!