Summarize Argument
The author concludes that Juan must have entered the logo-generation contest. The author supports this conclusion with the following:
One of the rules stated that everyone who entered the contest would receive a T-shirt with the company’s logo.
Juan has a T-shirt with the company’s logo.
Identify and Describe Flaw
The author confuses a sufficient condition with a necessary condition. Entrance into the contest is sufficient to get the T-shirt. But that doesn’t mean it’s necessary. Maybe some people could have gotten the T-shirt without entering the contest.
A
infers a causal relationship when the evidence only supports a correlation
The argument doesn’t conclude or assume a causal relationship. The argument’s based on application of a conditional rule.
B
takes a condition that is sufficient for a particular outcome as one that is necessary for that outcome
The contest rules tell us that entrance into the contest is sufficient for the outcome of getting a T-shirt with the logo. But that doesn’t imply entrance into the contest is necessary for the T-shirt. So the fact Juan has the T-shirt doesn’t prove that he entered the contest.
C
infers that every member of a group has a feature in common on the grounds that the group as a whole has that feature
The argument doesn’t commit a whole-to-part fallacy. The evidence concerns a rule of the contest and Juan. The conclusion is based on an attempt to apply that rule to Juan. The author doesn’t conclude or assume anything about every member of a group.
D
has a premise that presupposes the truth of the conclusion
(D) describes circular reasoning. The author’s conclusion — that Juan entered the contest — is not restated in the premises.
E
constructs a generalization on the basis of a single instance
The argument doesn’t generalize based on a single instance. The argument tries to apply a conditional rule to Juan. The argument doesn’t conclude or assume anything about a broader group.
Summary
Global warming has caused a rise in global sea level. This rise results from melting glaciers and ice sheets, as well as the fact water volume increases when its temperature increases. This rise in global sea level is lower than it otherwise could have been, because over the years we have built reservoirs around the world that capture water that would otherwise reach the sea.
Strongly Supported Conclusions
It is possible to slow down the rate at which the sea level rises.
We can do things to change the impact of global warming on the sea level.
We can do things to change the impact of global warming on the sea level.
A
The exact magnitude of the rise in global sea level is in dispute.
Unsupported. The exact rise in sea level might be universally agreed on. We know nothing about the level of consensus or dispute regarding how much the sea level has risen.
B
Rises in global sea level that occurred before the world’s reservoirs were built are difficult to explain.
Unsupported. Rises in sea level before reservoirs were built could have been due to global warming. The stimulus doesn’t suggest we have a lack of understanding of any rise in sea level before reservoirs were built.
C
Little is known about the contribution of global warming to the rise in global sea level.
Unsupported. We know that the rise in sea level is not as great as it could have been. And we might know the exact amount of the rise that’s attributable to global warming. The stimulus doesn’t provide any evidence to the contrary.
D
The amount of water in the world’s reservoirs is about equal to the amount of water that results from the melting of glaciers and ice sheets.
Unsupported. We know reservoirs contain water that would have gone into the sea. We have no evidence concerning how the amount in the reservoirs compares to the amount that melts.
E
The amount of water that results from the melting of glaciers and ice sheets cannot be determined by looking at the rise in global sea level alone.
Supported. The rise in sea level is a product of melting glaciers, expanding water volume, and water being redirected to reservoirs. So, you can’t look at the rise in sea level alone and know how much each factor contributes (or took away, in the case of reservoirs) to the rise.
Conclusion: The government should not reduce taxes on textile imports.
Summary
The author concludes that the government should not reduce taxes on textile imports. This is based on the following rule:
If one or more of a government’s domestic industries would be significantly harmed by the added competition resulting from reduced import taxes, then a government should not reduce import taxes for that industry.
If one or more of a government’s domestic industries would be significantly harmed by the added competition resulting from reduced import taxes, then a government should not reduce import taxes for that industry.
Missing Connection
We have a rule that allows us to conclude the government shouldn’t reduce import taxes for textiles. To trigger this rule, we want to know that reduced import taxes for the textile industry would significantly harm the domestic textile industry.
A
Reducing taxes on textile imports would not financially benefit many consumers in the domestic economy.
(A) doesn’t establish that reducing import taxes for textiles would significantly harm the domestic textile industry. Failing to benefit consumers does not constitute significant harm to the domestic textile industry.
B
Reducing taxes on textile imports would financially benefit some consumers in the domestic economy but would not benefit the domestic textile industry.
(B) doesn’t establish that reducing import taxes for textiles would significantly harm the domestic textile industry. Failing to benefit the domestic textile industry does imply significant harm to the domestic textile industry. (Not helping does not imply hurting.)
C
The domestic textile industry faces significant competition in many of its export markets.
(C) doesn’t establish that reducing import taxes for textiles would significantly harm the domestic textile industry. The fact there’s “significant competition” does not guarantee significant harm. It’s possible, for example, that the domestic industry can withstand and beat out the competition.
D
The domestic textile industry and consumers in the domestic economy would benefit less from reductions in taxes on textile imports than they would from other measures.
The comparative level of benefit from tax reductions compared to other measures does not establish that reducing import taxes would significantly harm the domestic textile industry.
E
The added competition produced by any reduction of taxes on imports would significantly harm the domestic textile industry.
(E) establishes that reducing import taxes would significantly harm the domestic textile industry. Thus, according to the rule, the government should not reduce import taxes for textiles.
"Surprising" Phenomenon
Why did the foundation that reconstructed the Frauenkirche church decide not to rebuild the original organ when they otherwise took extraordinary care to return the church to its original form?
Objective
The right answer will describe a key difference in either the process of rebuilding the modern organ and the original organ, or else the end results of the same. That difference will shed light on either a benefit of the more modern organ or a drawback of the original organ which outweighed the foundation’s desire to remain true to the original church through the reconstruction.
A
An eighteenth-century baroque organ cannot adequately produce much of the organ music now played in church services and concerts.
This is a significant drawback of the eighteenth-century baroque organ that explains why the foundation opted for a newer model: the original organ would have been unable to adequately produce much of the music needed for modern church services and concerts!
B
The organ originally designed for the church had some features that modern organs lack.
This doesn’t matter to us, and we probably already assumed that an organ made 200 years ago was different from a modern one! We don’t know if the features on the original organ were good or bad, so we can’t determine if this is a benefit to, or drawback of, the original.
C
The donation for rebuilding the original eighteenth-century baroque organ was designated for that purpose alone.
This is the opposite of helpful. If the donation hadn’t been designated solely for rebuilding the organ, the foundation might’ve opted to build the cheaper, modern organ so they could use the excess funds for other work. This answer choice takes away that possible explanation.
D
By the time the church was destroyed in World War II, the eighteenth-century baroque organ had been modified several times.
This doesn’t matter. We don’t care about the history of the original organ, we just want to know why the foundation decided not to rebuild it in any of its forms, modified or not.
E
In the eighteenth century, the organ played an important role in church services at the Frauenkirche.
This doesn’t matter. We don’t care how important the original organ was in church services, we just want to know why the foundation decided not to rebuild it.
Summary
Cats fed canned food eat fewer ounces per day on average than cats fed dry food. Canned food has more calories per ounce than dry food. Feeding a cat canned food usually costs more per day than feeding a cat dry food.
Strongly Supported Conclusions
Canned food costs more per ounce than dry food, such that the extra cost offsets the reduced amount of food that cats have to eat when fed canned food.
A
On average, cats fed canned cat food eat more calories per day than do cats fed dry cat food.
This is unsupported because despite the higher caloric content of canned food, cats eating canned food eat fewer ounces of food per day. These values may offset such that the calories per day for cats are the same regardless of which food they eat.
B
Typically, cats are fed either canned cat food or dry cat food, or both.
This is unsupported because there may exist a third type of food that the stimulus hasn’t mentioned.
C
How much it costs to feed a cat a given kind of food depends only on how many calories per ounce that food contains.
This is unsupported because the overall cost could also depend on the cost of the food per ounce.
D
On average, it costs no less to feed a cat that eats fewer ounces of food per day than it does to feed a cat that eats more ounces of food per day.
This is unsupported because it is possible that cats have overall different average amounts of calories that they eat regardless of food type. Eating fewer ounces of food per day isn’t necessarily confined to the cats that eat wet food.
E
Canned cat food typically costs more per ounce than does dry cat food.
This is strongly supported because even though cats eat less per day when fed canned food than fed dry food, the cost is higher for canned food each day. This means the higher cost is offsetting the reduced amount that cats eat of canned food.