PT159 S3 Q14 ExplanationGenerally, open discussion of a false and pernicious idea

Answer choices, explained

1. A

   Unsupported Recommendation: governments should1% picked this

   Democratic governments should be allowed on occasion to suppress debate regarding

   Whenever a Most Supported answer presents a recommendation, be skeptical! If the stimulus didn't say that specific party should act in that specific way, the answer is almost certainly wrong. Additionally, the stimulus expresses a tension surrouding open debate, but it doesn't suggest how we should respond to that tension. This answer is too speculative because it recommends a specific, unsupported response.

   1%
2. B

   Unsupported Comparison: Sometimes it is better18% picked this

   Sometimes it is better to openly discuss an idea even though doing so will increase the

   Whenever a Most Supported answer presents a comparison, be skeptical! If the stimulus didn't compare those two specific things on that one specific metric, the answer is probably wrong. Additionally, this answer has a similar problem as Answer Choice A: the stimulus expresses a tension surrouding open debate, but it doesn't suggest how we should respond to that tension. This answer is too speculative because it suggests one response is better than some unnamed alternative.

   18%
3. C

   Unsupported Relationship: pernicious ideas / misconceptions3% picked this

   Not all pernicious ideas are

   The weak degree of "not all" is attractive in Most Supported questions because it only requires one data point to prove. So, we ask ourselves: does this stimulus prove that there is at least one pernicious idea that is not a misconception? Nope. The only pernicious idea mentioned in the stimlus is "false and pernicious" which is by definition a misconception. While Answer Choice C may be true in real life, that doesn't mean it is well supported by this stimulus.

   3%
4. D

   Correct64% picked this

   Discussion and debate do not necessarily lead to a greater acceptance

   Why this is right

   This articulates the tension expressed in the stimulus and sounds like the "moral of the story" we're being told.

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

   64%
5. E

   Unsupported Causal Relationship: false / appealing14% picked this

   One of the reasons some ideas are appealing is that they

   The weak degree of "one of the reasons" and "some ideas" are both appealing in a Most Supported question because they only require one data point to prove. So, we ask ourselves: does this stimulus prove that there is at least one appealing idea that is appealing because it's false? Nope. We're told that certain false ideas are appealing, but we can't infer the Causal Relationship that they are appealing because of their falsity. Whenever a Most Supported answer presents a causal relationship, be skeptical and investigate it!

   14%