Logical Reasoning

PT120 · S1 · Q21 Opposition leader: Our country has

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Opposition leader: Our country has the least fair court system of any country on the continent and ought not to be the model for others.

Conclusion

Our highest court is the least fair of any court on the continent and ought not to be emulated.

Evidence

Our country has the least fair court system of any country on the continent and ought not to be emulated.

Evaluate

The evidence and conclusion both deal with the idea of "least fair of any / shouldn't be emulated". They are only different because the evidence is saying this idea is true about the court system, while the conclusion is saying this idea is true about the highest court.

If something is true about the court system, does that mean it's true of the highest court?

Not necessarily. This is a famous flaw called Part vs. Whole. Maybe the average turnaround time for a case in the court system is 1 month, but the average turnaround time for a case in the highest court is 3 months. The Whole and its Parts do not necessarily have identical traits. Maybe this country's court system overall is the worst, but their highest court is actually pretty decent. It would be like a basketball team who is one of the worst in the league and ought not to be emulated, but their best player might still be good and worthy of emulation.

Goal

Look for an answer that also makes this illegal move:

21.

The flawed reasoning in which one of the following arguments is most similar to that in the opposition leader's argument?

  1. The residents of medium-sized towns

    Weak Conclusion Match

    This would have worked had the conclusion said, "Therefore, Maureen, who is a resident of a medium-sized town is more highly educated than Monica, who is not a resident of a medium-sized town". Instead, the conclusion introduces some complications -- Maureen was born in a mid-size town, but who knows if she currently lives there. Monica is now a resident of a mid-size town, but only recently.

    18% picked this

  2. Correct

    At a certain college, either

    Why this is right

    This argument makes the same move from "if it's true of the Whole, then it's true of the Part". Either philosophy or engineering is the most demanding major (a whole). Thus, either Intro to Phil or Intro to English is the most demanding intro course (a part). This answer is hoping to strike people as unappealing since it introduces the structural mismatch of the either/or. But this answer is the only one that gives us a Whole to Part flaw. Would we have preferred a Whole to Part argument that didn't use an either/or? Yes that would be even better, but it's most important that we replicate the flaw.

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

    57% picked this

  3. For many years its superior

    Part vs. Part

    This is making a Comparison flaw, assuming that "because trait X is true of Thing 1, trait X should also be true of similar Thing 2." We wanted a Whole to Part flaw, assuming that "because trait X is true of this Whole, trait X should also be true of a Part of this whole." Passenger cars are not a part of racing cars. They are both Parts of the Whole of Lawson Auto Company. This argument would have worked if it said, Lawson Automobile Company is very profitable. Therefore, its passenger car division must be very profitable.

    21% picked this

  4. Domestic cats are closely related

    Part vs. Part

    Domestic cats and tigers are both Parts of the Whole feline family. Since we're looking for an argument that goes from Whole to Part, we would need something like "Because trait X is true of felines, trait X is true of tigers."

    2% picked this

  5. If a suit of questionable

    Trap

    Better vs. Best (Wrong Flaw) Topic Trap This compares the first district to the second district, which is not the Whole vs. Part relationship we're looking for. This also contains the famous Topic Trap, which is when an answer choice on a Parallel or Analogy question tries to entice people by being about a similar topic (courts), rather than being logically similar the way the correct answer is supposed to be.

    3% picked this

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