PT157 S2 Q19 ExplanationCommittee chairperson: No new course

Answer choices, explained

1. A

   Negation9% picked this

   If there are no new upper-level courses next year, then there will be no new courses next

   This answer says if there are no new upper-level courses, then no new courses will have prerequisites. We know upper-level courses have prerequisites (UL -> P), but this answer assumes the reverse: non-upper-level courses do not have prerequisites (~UL -> ~P). That is an illegal negation of the conditional. A lower-level course could also have prerequisites for reasons not discussed in the stimulus. The premises only tell us upper-level courses will have prerequisites, not that they are the only courses with prerequisites.

   9%
2. B

   Reversal8% picked this

   If all of the new courses next year are upper-level courses, then all of the new course proposals submitted to the

   This answer says if all new courses are upper-level, then all committee proposals were approved. We know the committee's proposals are for upper-level courses (PRC -> UL), but this answer assumes the reverse: upper-level courses came from the committee (UL -> PRC). That is an illegal reversal. Dean Wilson's proposal could also be for an upper-level course. Additionally, the committee could have received proposals without approving them. Nothing guarantees that receiving a proposal leads to approval.

   8%
3. C

   Correct53% picked this

   If there is more than one new course next year, at least one of them will be a

   Why this is right

   If more than one new course is approved, at least two proposals were submitted. Dean Wilson received only one proposal, so he can account for at most one approved course. Any additional approved courses must have had proposals submitted to the committee. All committee proposals are for upper-level courses, and all upper-level courses have prerequisites. Therefore, at least one of the approved courses (the one that came through the committee) will have prerequisites. This follows directly from combining the premises without any unsupported inferences.

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

   53%
4. D

   Too Strong27% picked this

   If the new course proposal that Dean Wilson received is for an upper-level course, then all courses offered

   This answer says if Dean Wilson's proposal is for an upper-level course, then all courses offered next year will have prerequisites. "All courses" goes far beyond what the premises support. The premises only tell us that new upper-level courses will have prerequisites -- not that existing courses will have prerequisites. There could be many continuing lower-level courses on the schedule without prerequisites. This answer massively overgeneralizes from a rule about new upper-level courses to a claim about every course offered.

   27%
5. E

   Unsupported3% picked this

   If there are no new upper-level courses next year, then the new course proposal that was submitted to Dean

   This answer says if no new upper-level courses are approved, then Dean Wilson's proposal will have been approved. There is no logical connection between the absence of upper-level courses and Dean Wilson's proposal being approved. If no upper-level courses are approved, the committee proposals were rejected. But that tells us nothing about whether Dean Wilson's proposal was accepted or rejected -- those are independent decisions. Dean Wilson's proposal could be rejected regardless of what happens with the committee's proposals.

   3%