Logical Reasoning

PT110 · S2 · Q25 Although wood-burning stoves are

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Although wood-burning stoves are more efficient than open fireplaces, they are also more dangerous.

Main Conclusion

Wood burning stoves are more dangerous than open fireplaces.

Evidence

The smoke from wood burning stoves is cooler than the smoke from an open flame. (causal)-Thus, the smoke from wood burning stoves travels more slowly and deposits more creosote, which can clog a chimney or ignite it.

Evaluate

The conclusion is a head to head comparison between wood-burning stoves and open fireplaces, and we're just trying to judge which one is more dangerous.

The author votes for wood-burning being more dangerous because the smoke travels more slowly and deposits more flammable creosote.

Goal

Let's look for an answer that makes wood-burning sound safer (it's fine when smoke travels slowly / creosote is harmless / cool smoke is so much safer) or an answer that makes open fireplaces sound more dangerous.

25.

Which one of the following, if true, most seriously weakens the argument?

The most efficient wood-burning stoves
Weak Impact
The premise was generalizing about wood burning stoves, so we would interpret it to mean, "On average, wood-burning stoves deposit more creosote than open fireplaces do". This answer chops away at that somewhat, saying that "if you happen to have the most-efficient wood burning stove, then it produces less creosote than do at least a handful of open fireplaces". But this doesn't change the underlying the generalization. We can say that "Adults are taller than children" as a generalization, and saying "the shortest adults are not as tall as are many children" is still compatible with that generalization.
18% picked this
The amount of creosote produced
Unclear Impact
This is too wishy-washy to have any clear impact. Okay, the amount of creosote depends on the type of flame and how often the stove or fireplace is used. Well ... is a wood-burning stove generally used more/less often than an open fireplace? We don't know, so this answer doesn't score a point for wood-burning or open fireplace.
11% picked this
Correct
Open fireplaces pose more risk
Why this is right
This scores a big point in favor of "open fireplaces are more dangerous". Apparently they pose more risk of severe accidents inside the house. This alone, of course, does not prove that open fireplaces overall are more dangerous, but it certainly nudges us in that direction. Right now we're thinking that with wood stoves, there's a bigger risk of creosote clogging or igniting in a chimney. With open fireplaces, there's a bigger risk of severe accidents inside the home. It would be hard to conclude at this point that wood-burning stoves are more dangerous.
Skill tested: Weaken · how this choice captures the argument's function is the move to repeat next time.
62% picked this
Open fireplaces also produce a
Relative vs. Absolute
The argument is about which stove is more dangerous. With this answer we now know that both types of stove produce a lot of creosote. But wood stoves produce more creosote, so we know when it comes to creosote that wood stoves are more dangerous.
10% picked this
Homeowners in warm climates rarely
No Impact
This answer tells us about people who don't use either type of heat source. That has no effect on our scorecard of which heat source is more dangerous.
0% picked this

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