PT154 S2 Q10 ExplanationWei: A respected automobile

Answer choices, explained

1. A

   Correct93% picked this

   My veterinarian told me that most cats who do not have yearly teeth cleaning will develop gum problems. However, I have not had my

   Why this is right

   This has the same structure and flaw as the original. The author is rebutting a general claim, "most cats who don't have yearly cleanings will have gum problems", by pointing to one lone data point from personal experience. "Nuh-uhhhh ... my cat didn't have yearly cleanings, and she doesn't have gum problems."

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

   93%
2. B

   Different Flaw1% picked this

   Car dealers claim that customers save money in the long run if they purchase extended warranties for new cars. But car dealers have a

   This is committing the Ad Hominem flaw, in which an author dismisses someone else's view because the source of that view has a biased motive or has conflicting past behavior. In the original argument, the author is disputing a general claim by saying that her personal experience doesn't line up with that claim. In this answer, the author is disputing a general claim by saying that the source of the claim has a biased interest in that claim being true.

   1%
3. C

   Bad Evidence Match / Additional Flaw5% picked this

   A high-ranking traffic safety official claims that driving over the speed limit increases the chance of having an automobile accident. But this claim is

   Overall, this answer is promising. An author is rebutting an expert's claim on the basis of the shallow sample of their own personal experience. However, this argument has an additional flaw. Its putative counterexample isn't really a counterexample. Suppose we're considering the offensive claim, "blond people are usually not very smart". A counterexample would be saying, "Nuh-uhh. Stacey is a blond person and she is very smart." What this answer choice did was attempt to provide a counterexample by saying, "Nuh-uhh. Stacey has black hair, and she is not very smart." When we say "Most A's are B" or "All A's are B", then the feel of a counterexample is something that is "A, but not B". This answer is providing something that is "B, but not A". For this argument to match the original, the premises should be saying, "This is not true. After all, I drive over the speed limit, but I have not had accidents."

   5%
4. D

   Bad Evidence Match1% picked this

   Boot manufacturers claim that a good pair of boots will last at least five years. But this claim is false. The boots I got

   Similar to (C), this has a good overall feel because the author is rebutting someone's claim on the basis of the shallow sample of their own personal experience. But just like (C), the personal experience isn't a clear counterexample of the general statement. The general statement was "most good boots last more than 5 years". A correct-sounding counterexample would be, "I had this pair of good boots, but it lasted less than 5 years". However, in this argument, the author never establishes that we're talking about a pair of good boots, so it's not clear whether it's a counterexample. (The writers seemed to even throw us the idea of "These boots I got from the Discount Store" to suggest that they're probably not high quality boots).

   1%
5. E

   Bad Conclusion / Evidence Match0% picked this

   A study of local rainfall shows that we have received at least 20 centimeters (8 inches) of rain per year for the past 50

   This one is miles away. There's no rebuttal to a general claim. There's no personal experience being used as the evidence.

   0%