If a mechanical aerator is installed

Answer choices

1. A

   Correct82% picked this

   If alum is added to pickle brine, brine can replace the water in the pickles. Therefore, since Paula does not add alum to her

   Why this is right

   This answer has the illegal negation we were looking for, right out of the gate. We're given this rule: If alum is added, brine can replace water. Then the author reasons: Paula no add alum, so brine can't replace water The rest of the argument ends up being structurally similar, where the author then uses that erroneous intermediate conclusion to pair up with another conditional rule to derive the main conclusion. But we really didn't need to even worry about that, since this is the only answer that replicates the illegal negation flaw of the original argument.

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

   82%
2. B

   No Illegal Negation2% picked this

   If pectin is added to jam, the jam will gel. Without a setting agent such as pectin, jam will not gel. So in order

   The first two sentences may look like an illegal negation of each other, but they are just two separate conditional rules. An illegal negation means that the author provides a rule and then her reasoning involves thinking through the rule in a reversed or negated fashion. ILLEGAL NEGATION If x, then y. Since Tony is not x, he must not be y. NOT AN ILLEGAL NEGATION If x, then y. If not x, then not y. The second case is just two conditional rules. They would actually create a bi-conditional relationship between x and y. The first case is a rule followed by reasoning, by an attempted application of the rule. This answer just gives us "If P is added, jam will gel" and then gives us a second rule, "if P (or some other setting agent) is not added, jam will not gel".

   2%
3. C

   No Illegal Negation6% picked this

   If stored potatoes are not exposed to ethylene, the potatoes will not sprout. Beets do not release ethylene. Therefore, if Sara stores her potatoes

   We're given a rule, "If P's aren't exposed to E, the P's won't sprout". An illegal negation would say, "Sara's P's have been exposed to E, so her potatoes will sprout."

   6%
4. D

   No Illegal Negation Valid Logic5% picked this

   If a carrot patch is covered with mulch in the fall, the carrots can be left in the ground until spring. Without a mulch

   We're given a rule, "If CP is covered with mulch in the fall, then C's can be left until spring". An illegal negation would sound like, "Thus, since Kevin did not cover his CP with mulch, his C's cannot be left until spring". But the conclusion is saying "Since he did cover, his C's can be left". It's a valid application of the rule.

   5%
5. E

   No Illegal Negation Valid Logic5% picked this

   If tomatoes are not stored in a dark place, their seeds sometimes sprout. Sprouted seeds can make tomatoes inedible. Therefore, since Maria does not

   We're given a rule, "If T's aren't stored in a dark place, their seeds may sprout." An illegal negation would sound like, "Therefore, since Maria's T's are stored in a dark place, their seeds will not sprout." But the conclusion says that Maria's T's aren't stored in a dark place, so this is an accurate application of the rule.

   5%