Logical Reasoning

PT8 · S4 · Q13 The dean of computing must

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The dean of computing must be respected by the academic staff and be competent to oversee the use of computers on campus.

Conclusion (therefore)

The dean of computing must be a professor from this university's computer science department.

Evidence

The dean of computing must be respected by the academic staff and be competent to oversee the use of computers on campus.

The only deans whom academics respect are those who hold doctoral degrees.

Only someone who really knows about computers can competently oversee the use of computers on campus.

The board of trustees has decided that the dean of computing must be selected from among this university's staff.

Evaluate

The argument is inferring that the dean of computing must be a professor from the computer science department based on the requirements of respect and computer competency. The evidence provides these conditions:

Requirement 1: Respect requires a doctoral degree

Requirement 2: Competency requires really knowing about computers

Additionally, it states that the dean must be selected from university staff.

So we have three requirements we have to meet: current university staff, doctoral degree, really knows about computers.

The conclusion is suggesting that we only have one choice: a professor from the computer sci dept.

That assumes two things: 1. Some professors from the computer sci dept have doctoral degrees and really know about computers (they're clearly current university staff) 2. No one else on the university staff outside the computer sci dept has the magic combo of "doctoral degree and really knows about computers".

Goal

Let's find an answer that either addressing whether professors from the CS dept meet the requirements, or an answer ruling out the possibility that people outside the CS dept meet the requirements.

13.

Which one of the following is an assumption on which the argument depends?

  1. Academics respect only people who

    Too Strong: people (vs. deans)

    The passage established that the only DEANS that academics respect are those who hold a doctoral degree but that doesn't mean the only PEOPLE they respect are those with doctorates.

    1% picked this

  2. All of this university’s professors

    Too Strong: all

    The argument has to assume that at least some professors in the computer science department have doctoral degrees, but not that all the professors at the university do.

    7% picked this

  3. At this university, every professor

    Too Strong: Every

    The argument definitely has to assume that SOME professors who hold doctoral degrees, and who work in the computer science department, really know about computers. But she doesn't have to assume that they ALL know. She is claiming that the only eligible people for the dean of computing are in the CS department, not that everyone in the CS department is eligible to be dean of computing.

    15% picked this

  4. All academics who hold doctoral

    Negation

    We were told, "if a dean doesn't have a doctoral degree, then they won't be respected by academics." This is illegally negating that into "if a person does have a doctoral degree, then they will be respected by academics." This negation is a much stronger idea. The author was never saying that everyone with doctorates is respected, merely that having a doctorate is required to be respected. (i.e. "everyone without a doctorate isn't respected)

    2% picked this

  5. Correct

    Among this university’s staff members

    Why this is right

    Since the author thinks that our search for the dean (which requires that one be a staff member, have a doctoral degree, and really know about computers) forces us to go to the Computer Science department. "it must be a professor from the CS department" implies that you could only find this magic combo there. If we negated this answer, it would be saying, "There are university staff members outside of the computer science department who have doctoral degrees and really know about computers", which would basically ruin the conclusion. The new dean doesn't HAVE to be from the CS department if there are people outside the CS department who meet the requirements.

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

    75% picked this

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