Logical Reasoning

PT138 · S2 · Q16 Judge: The defendant admits

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Judge: The defendant admits noncompliance with national building codes but asks that penalties not be imposed because he was confused as to whether national or local building codes applied to the area in which he was building.

Opposing Support

He [the defendant] was confused as to whether national or local building codes applied to the area in which he was building.

Opposing Point

This excuse might be acceptable had he been charged with noncompliance with local codes.

Evidence

The defendant admits noncompliance with national building codes.

He is charged with noncompliance with national codes.

Conclusion

His excuse is unacceptable.

Evaluate

Why the double standard? A mechanism exists that would make national building codes applicable regardless of whether the defendant thought local or national codes applied to the area, while making it sometimes possible that local codes would not apply. If local codes required any behavior required by national codes, then violation of national codes could not be an excuse.

16.

Which one of the following principles, if valid, most helps to justify the judge's reasoning?

  1. Local codes and national codes

    Weakens

    This weakens the argument by making the defendant’s excuse more plausible. If local and national codes do not overlap it makes it less likely that the national codes would apply regardless of the area.

    4% picked this

  2. Local codes may be less

    Weakens

    This makes it so that any behavior required by local codes is required by national codes and makes it less likely that national codes would apply.

    15% picked this

  3. Correct

    Any behavior required by national

    Why this is right

    This would ensure that regardless of whether the local or national codes applied in the area in which the defendant was building, the national codes would apply.

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

    61% picked this

  4. Ignorance of the difference between

    Out of Scope

    The defendant did not claim ignorance of the difference between local and national codes, but rather ignorance of which applied in the area in which he was building.

    11% picked this

  5. A behavior that is in

    Weakens

    This weakens the argument by making the defendant’s excuse more plausible. If local and national codes do not overlap it makes it less likely that the national codes would apply regardless of the area.

    9% picked this

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