A recent survey showed that 50

Answer choices

1. A

   Wrong Flaw31% picked this

   draws a conclusion about the population in general based only on a sample

   This describes the famous Sampling Flaw, in which an author moves from specific data points to a conclusion that assumes the same thing will be true for a larger set of data points. But the evidence in this argument was not small, specific. It said that a survey demonstrates

   31%
2. B

   Correct35% picked this

   confuses a sufficient condition with a

   Why this is right

   This describes what's happening when an author messes up a conditional logic statement and sees the direction of the arrow going the wrong way. In the conclusion, the author is acting like 35% of people said "if convicted, then resign", but in reality 35% said "only if convicted, resign". So the author has acted like "convicted" was a sufficient condition for resignation, when it was really a necessary condition.

   Skill tested: Flaw · how this choice captures the argument's function is the move to repeat next time.

   35%
3. C

   Wrong Flaw3% picked this

   is based on an ambiguity of one of

   This is getting in the neighborhood of the famous Equivocation flaw (the same word/concept is used in two very different ways). But there aren't any ambiguous terms here.

   3%
4. D

   Bad Conclusion Match29% picked this

   draws a conclusion about a specific belief based on responses to queries about two

   Does the author draw a conclusion about a specific belief? No, she draws a conclusion about a quantitative comparison between people who have specific belief A and people who have specific belief B. We could stop reading the answer, once we see this mismatch.

   29%
5. E

   Wrong Flaw2% picked this

   contains premises that cannot all be

   This describes the famous Internal Contradiction flaw, which is almost never the right answer. The premises in this argument certainly don't contradict.

   2%