Travel agent: Although most

Answer choices

1. A

   Opposite8% picked this

   The argument fails to address adequately the possibility that the average major airline has had a total number of accidents as great as

   Is it a good objection if we say that an average major airline has as many total accidents as an average low-fare airline? No, because the low-fare airlines are news. If they've been flying for much less time but have the same total number of accidents as major airlines, then it sounds like the low-fare ones are less safe, which would strengthen the author's position.

   8%
2. B

   Bad Premise Match5% picked this

   The argument draws a general conclusion about how safe passengers are on different airlines on the basis of safety records that are each from

   Is the author's conclusion about how safe passengers are on different airlines? Sure. Is the evidence about safety records that are all too brief to adequately judge? No. The low-fare airlines' safety records are too brief, but the major airlines usually have long-standing records that reliably indicate degree of safety.

   5%
3. C

   Correct68% picked this

   The argument fails to consider the possibility that long-standing and reliable records documenting an airline's degree of safety may indicate

   Why this is right

   Does it hurt the argument if we say that these long-standing and reliable records that the major airlines have indicate that the airlines are unsafe? Yes, that weakens. We still couldn't prove that the low-fare ones are safer, but we at least have the beginnings of a counterargument: maybe it would be safer to take a chance on a lesser-known airline that has so far been pretty safe than to buy a ticket with a major airline that is known to be unsafe.

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

   68%
4. D

   Too Strong12% picked this

   The argument takes for granted that airlines that are the safest are also the most reliable

   Does this author need to assume that the safest airlines are the most reliable in documenting their safety? No, that's an extreme claim that doesn't matter to the author's logic. He's only arguing that major airlines have better documentation in general and arguing on that basis that they're safer. He doesn't need the #1 safest airline to also be the #1 at reliably documenting their safety. He isn't arguing that "the more reliably you document your safety, the safer you are".

   12%
5. E

   Too Weak8% picked this

   The argument fails to address adequately the possibility that even airlines with long-standing, reliable records indicating their degree of safety are still likely

   Would it hurt the author's argument to say that these major airlines are still likely to have one or more accidents on their record? Not really. The author wasn't making it seem like major airlines had perfect safety records, so the existence of a few accidents on their records isn't anything troubling for this argument. The author is merely saying that major airlines have more established safety records.

   8%