If Agnes's research proposal

Answer choices

1. A

   Out of Scope Comparison: "bigger"6% picked this

   presumes, without providing justification, that the fourth-floor lab is bigger than the

   Immanuel's proposal has nothing to do with the main conclusion. So any comparison between the 4th floor and 2nd floor is out of scope when it comes to how the author is attempting to arrive at her conclusion. But this answer may seem like an assumption involved in drawing the subsidiary conclusion in the 3rd sentence. However, it's possible that the 4th floor and 2nd floor labs are the same size, but more than one research project can take place in a given lab. Thus, since Agnes needs more space then Immanuel, she might need all of the 4th floor cleaned out for her use, while Immanuel can just keep working in the 2nd floor lab, along with other researchers using the remainder of the 2nd floor lab's available space.

   6%
2. B

   Correct75% picked this

   fails to consider the possibility that a proposal will be rejected even with

   Why this is right

   Would it weaken the author's argument if a proposal can be rejected even with the director's support? Yes! The author is thinking that since the director supports Agnes's proposal, that proposal will get approved. This answer doesn't use the Necessary vs. Sufficient wording it could have used; instead, it demonstrates why the author's Illegal Negation was an illegitimate inference. The argument establishes that there would never be a case of Approval but No Support. But there could still be cases where there is Support but No Approval.

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

   75%
3. C

   Trap4% picked this

   presumes, without providing justification, that the director will support both proposals

   Too Strong / Out of Scope Comparison: "equal enthusiasm" Nothing in the argument hinges on the relative degree of support, so it's irrelevant whether the director supports one proposal more than the other or equally.

   4%
4. D

   Out of Scope4% picked this

   fails to consider the possibility that Immanuel will want to move to a bigger lab once

   Out of Scope: "once proposal is approved" Immanuel's proposal has nothing to do with the reasoning the author is using to get to her conclusion. Would it hurt the author's argument if Immanuel wanted a bigger lab once his proposal was approved? Nope. If Immanuel's and Agnes's proposals are both approved, the 4th floor lab gets cleaned out, and the author wins her conclusion. Immanuel's desire for a bigger lab is irrelevant to the conclusion, unless we add a completely superfluous idea that "If Immanuel wants a bigger lab, then the 4th floor lab won't get cleaned out".

   4%
5. E

   Too Strong: "no other lab"10% picked this

   presumes, without providing justification, that no lab other than the fourth-floor lab would be adequate

   The author has simply stated that if Agnes's proposal is approved, they'll give her the 4th floor lab. That doesn't force the author to believe that the 4th floor lab is the only adequate possibility for Agnes. It might be one of several labs she could use, and it's just been determined for whatever reason that the 4th floor lab is the one they'll give her.

   10%