Zobel: Peterson's analytic concepts

Answer choices

1. A

   Bad Description2% picked this

   The claim is dubious because Zobel assumes without justification that she is qualified to judge

   Zobel's qualifications are not the issue. She is herself a psychoanalyst, which the stimulus explicitly notes. The problem with her argument is not whether she is qualified to weigh in, but that her evidence — about students' emotional bonds — does not actually support her conclusion that Peterson's concepts are wrong.

   2%
2. B

   Correct84% picked this

   The claim has not been established because Zobel provides evidence that could show only that Peterson's students are biased in the

   Why this is right

   This pinpoints the gap precisely. Zobel's conclusion is that Peterson's concepts are wrong. But the only evidence Zobel offers is that Peterson's students are emotionally attached and therefore biased in evaluating her concepts. Bias among students does not show the concepts themselves are wrong — those are different claims. So Zobel's evidence supports at most the bias claim, not her actual conclusion. The claim has not been established.

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

   84%
3. C

   Too Strong3% picked this

   The claim cannot be evaluated because it is not possible for any psychoanalyst to provide an objective assessment

   Saying it is impossible for any psychoanalyst to evaluate another's concepts goes far beyond anything in the stimulus. Zobel claims only that Peterson's students cannot make unbiased judgments — not that all psychoanalysts are universally incapable of evaluating each other. This sweeping claim is unsupported.

   3%
4. D

   Unsupported1% picked this

   The claim is questionable because it is obvious that Zobel has a professional rivalry with Peterson and cannot

   The stimulus tells us nothing about a professional rivalry between Zobel and Peterson. Inserting a personal motive on Zobel's part is speculation. The actual issue with Zobel's reasoning lies in the gap between the evidence (student bias) and the conclusion (concepts are wrong).

   1%
5. E

   Opposite10% picked this

   The claim is acceptable because Zobel has effectively shown that Peterson's analytic concepts are biased and based on

   Zobel did not show that Peterson's concepts are biased or based on emotion. She showed (at most) that Peterson's students may be biased in their assessments of her concepts. That is a different claim, and it does not support accepting Zobel's conclusion. This answer rewards an argument that, on careful reading, has not been made.

   10%