Problem: If Shayna congratulates

Answer choices

1. A

   Bad Conclusion Match10% picked this

   If Shayna congratulates Daniel, she will avoid hurting his feelings, so she

   This argument is saying that she should congratulate, which means she should be insincere. This principle has no power to prove should be insincere, only shouldn't be insincere (since you can only prove the idea on the right side of the principle).

   10%
2. B

   Bad Outcome Match / Bad Trigger Match43% picked this

   Daniel might prefer for Shayna to congratulate him—even if insincerely—rather than for her to express her true feelings, and so Shayna would be doing

   This argument is saying that she would be doing nothing wrong by congratulating, but this principle only has the power to prove that Shayna would be doing something wrong by congratulating, since we can only conclude the right side of the principle. Additionally, this doesn't establish that Shanya believes that Daniel prefers kindness to honesty; it just informs us that Daniel might prefer kindness to honesty in this situation. The rule is based on a belief about another person's preference, not about their actual preference.

   43%
3. C

   Bad Premise/Conclusion Match10% picked this

   Shayna believes that kindness should be preferred to dishonesty when speaking to others, so she should not tell

   We don't care whether Shayna prefers kindness to honesty. The principle cares about whether she believes the person with whom she's speaking (Daniel) prefers kindness to honesty. And the conclusion is saying "she should not tell her true feelings", which is drifting towards "she should lie / be insincere". Our principle only allows us to conclude that you shouldn't be insincere, that you should tell your true feelings.

   10%
4. D

   Bad Premise Match9% picked this

   Daniel's feelings would be hurt if he knew that congratulations from Shayna were insincere, so Shayna

   This does conclude what the principle has the power to prove: don't be insincere, so don't congratulate him. But the basis for this conclusion doesn't match the trigger of the principle -- it says nothing about whether Shayna believes that Daniel prefers kindness to honesty.

   9%
5. E

   Correct28% picked this

   Shayna has no opinion about whether Daniel would prefer kindness to honesty, so she should

   Why this is right

   This establishes the trigger of the principle: - it is not the case that Shayna believes Daniel prefers kindness to honesty (she has no opinion on the matter) And it concludes the outcome of the principle: - she should not be insincere; thus, she shouldn't congratulate Daniel.

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

   28%