Summarize Argument
Some people conclude that body size influences mating decisions throughout all societies. This conclusion is based on self-reports of university-age students and on analyses of personal ads for dating partners in newspapers.
Identify and Describe Flaw
The argument is based on a sample that might be unrepresentative. The preferences of university-age students and people who resort to personal ads for dating partners are probably not the same as the preferences of most other people in society.
A
concludes that one kind of event causes another kind of event without ruling out the possibility that both kinds of events are the result of a third kind of event
The conclusion does not assert that one event causes another kind of event. The conclusion concerns a feature (body size) that allegedly plays a role in mating decisions. Body size is not an event. Also, the premise doesn’t present a correlation between two events.
B
bases a conclusion on a sample that may be unrepresentative of the population about which the conclusion is drawn
The conclusion, about “all societies,” is based on reports from university-age students and analyses of personal ads in newspapers. There’s no reason to think these students and people who place personal ads are similar in their preferences to people generally in all societies.
C
concludes that an effect has only one cause in the face of evidence that the effect has multiple causes
The evidence does not suggest that there are multiple factors that play a role in mating decisions. The conclusion also does not assert that body size is the only influence on mating decisions.
D
uses a claim that applies only to entire societies to draw a conclusion about individual persons
The conclusion is not about individual persons. And the evidence does not apply to “entire societies.” The evidence concerns reports from university-age students and analyses of personal ads in newspapers.
E
draws a universal conclusion on the basis of a very small number of individual cases
We don’t know that there were only a “very small number” of individual cases. The stimulus doesn’t tell us how many self-reports or personal ads the conclusion is based on.
Renate: It’s true that the store is gone, but its closing had little to do with the product it sold. All this means is that the market for rugs in Glendale is now wide open.
Speaker 1 Summary
Mario concludes that we should avoid starting a new rug business in Glendale. This is because the only rug store in Glendale has gone out of business, which suggests there’s little demand for rugs there.
Speaker 2 Summary
Renate’s implicit conclusion is that if we’re interest in opening a new business in Glendale, we don’t need to avoid rugs. This is because the closing of the previous rug store didn’t have to do with demand, which indicates that the market for rugs in Glendale is now completely open.
Objective
We’re looking for a point of disagreement. The speakers disagree about whether rugs are a product to avoid when starting a new business in Glendale.
A
the rug store in Glendale sold rugs of inferior quality
Neither speaker expresses an opinion. Nobody discusses the quality of rugs sold by the previous store or whether the store’s closing suggests anything about the quality of rugs.
B
it is a good idea to open a rug store in Glendale
This is a point of disagreement. Mario thinks it’s not a good idea. Renate thinks it can be.
C
it is possible to determine the market for rugs in Glendale
If “market for rugs” means anything beyond the general size of the market, then the speakers don’t have an opinion. If it means only the general market size, then both think we can determine it. Mario thinks the market is small. Renate thinks the market is wide open.
D
any other stores have gone out of business in Glendale
Neither expresses an opinion. Nobody discusses other stores in Glendale or whether they have gone out of business.
E
rug stores can close because of insufficient demand for rugs
Renate doesn’t express an opinion. She acknowledges that the prior rug store closed, but says it wasn’t because of lack of demand. She doesn’t say anything suggesting lack of demand for rugs can or cannot lead to closing of a rug store.