Newspaper subscriber: Arnot's editorial

Answer choices

1. A

   Correct53% picked this

   it repudiates a claim merely on the grounds that an inadequate argument has been

   Why this is right

   Does it repudiate a claim? Yes, "clearly this conclusion is false. Is the only premise (merely on the grounds) that an inadequate argument has been made? Yes, the only premise that the argument for that claim rested on a dubious assumption.

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

   53%
2. B

   Not "Necessary vs. Sufficient"4% picked this

   it treats a change that is required for virtual elimination of society's most vexing social ills as a change that will guarantee

   This refers to the famous Necessary vs. Sufficient flaw, which is what we call it when an author messes up conditional logic. But there was no conditional logic here. There was no condition identified that is required for eliminating most of our worst social ills.

   4%
3. C

   Backwards Ingredients14% picked this

   it fails to consider that, even if an argument's conclusion is false, some of the assumptions used to justify that

   Our author failed to consider that, even if an argument's assumptions are false (or dubious), the conclusion they are used to justify may nonetheless be true.

   14%
4. D

   Not "Straw Man"22% picked this

   it distorts the opponent's argument and then attacks this

   We can't point to anywhere where our author distorts the opponent's argument. This answer refers to a flaw called Straw Man. If the author presented Arnot's idea that "government could be changed in a way that would virtually eliminate our social problems" and then the author said "but I'm not so sure that a revolution would solve our social problems, we could accuse the author of doing what this answer choice describes. Arnot was calling for change, not revolution, so the author would be distorting Arnot's argument by responding that way.

   22%
5. E

   Not "Equivocation"7% picked this

   it uses the key term "government" in one sense in a premise and in another

   The term government is used consistently. To pick an answer claiming the author committed the famous Equivocation flaw, you'd need to be able to paraphrase each usage of government in two completely different ways. But in both cases here, we would paraphrase the usage as something like "the officials and systems in charge of running the country".

   7%