Professor Smith published a paper arguing that a chemical found in minute quantities in most drinking water had an adverse effect on the human nervous system. Existing scientific theory held that no such effect was possible because there was no neural mechanism for bringing it about. Several papers by well-known scientists in establishment was threatened by Professor Smith’s work and conspired to discredit it.
What this question is testing
Your task
Describe the reasoning error the argument actually commits.
Common trap
Answers that name a real logical flaw the argument doesn't actually make.
Winning move
Articulate the gap in the reasoning yourself, then match it to the choice that describes that gap.
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