Logical Reasoning

PT142 · S4 · Q1 Ming: Since trans fat

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Ming: Since trans fat is particularly unhealthy, it’s fortunate for the consumer that so many cookie manufacturers have completely eliminated it from their products.

Ming's Conclusion

It's fortunate for the consumer that so many cookie manufacturers have completely eliminated trans fat from their products.

Ming's Evidence (since)

Trans fat is particularly unhealthy.

Carol's Implied Conclusion

It's not fortunate for consumers.

Carols' Evidence

Even without trans fat, desserts do not make for healthy eating.

Evaluate

Whenever a question stem asks us about how the 2nd person is interpreting the 1st person, they really mean misinterpreting.

The 2nd person is implicitly hearing the 1st person say something they really didn't say.

One way to articulate where the disconnect is would be to think about how the 1st person would respond. What would Ming say in response to, ?

He'd probably say,

Goal

Since Carol is responding, "Nuh-uh ... desserts are still unhealthy!", she must be thinking that Ming was saying,

Carol's response indicates that she interpreted Ming's remarks to mean that

the more trans fat a
Ming's Actual Meaning
This answer isn't a misinterpretation. Ming would believe that the more trans fat something has, the more unhealthy it is (all other things being equal). If Carol were disagreeing with this claim, she would have said something like "A cookie with high trans fat could still be healthier than a different cookie with lower trans fat".
1% picked this
Correct
food that doesn’t contain trans
Why this is right
Carol thinks Ming is saying, "Now that they've taken the trans fat out of desserts, desserts are healthy". In other words, "If no trans fat, then healthy". Thus, she responds by saying, "Hold up -- even without trans fat, desserts still aren't healthy".
Skill tested: Flaw · how this choice captures the argument's function is the move to repeat next time.
91% picked this
if a food is not
Out of Scope
Out of Scope: not healthy vs. unhealthy Neither person is dealing with a distinction between not-healthy and unhealthy. If Carol thought Ming had said this, then her disagreement would have been talking about a food like popcorn that isn't inherently healthy but we wouldn't call it unhealthy. Resisting this answer choice's idea means resisting calling something "unhealthy". (i.e. "Just because popcorn isn't a healthy food doesn't mean it's an unhealthy food") But Carol is resisting calling something "healthy". She's saying, "Just because you removed the trans fat doesn't mean that dessert is healthy."
6% picked this
a cookie containing any amount
Unrelated to Carol's Response
It's not clear that Ming would actually sign off on the extreme wording of this claim, but it's clear that Carol isn't reacting against this. If Carol were disagreeing with this, then her rebuttal would be pointing out that a cookie with an infinitesimal trace of trans fat is not necessarily unhealthy.
2% picked this
consumers should purchase cookies only
Unrelated to Carol's Response
It's not clear that Ming would actually sign off on the extreme wording of this claim, but it's clear that Carol isn't reacting against this. If Carol were disagreeing with this, then her rebuttal would be sound like, "sometimes it's okay for a consumer to buy a cookie with trans fat in it".
1% picked this

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