Taylor: From observing close friends and relatives, it is clear to me that telepathy is indeed possible between people with close psychic ties. The amazing frequency with which a good friend or family member knows what one is thinking or feeling cannot be dismissed as mere coincidence.
Summarize Argument: Phenomenon-Hypothesis
Taylor concludes that telepathy is possible between people with close psychic ties. He supports this by saying that the frequent ability of a close friend or family member to know what you're thinking or feeling can't be a coincidence.
Identify and Describe Flaw
Taylor concludes that telepathy is possible because it explains how people can sense their close friends’ and family members’ thoughts and feelings. However, he overlooks other possible— and far more probable— explanations. For example, maybe friends and relatives can sense each other’s thoughts because they spend a lot of time together and know each other very well, not because they’re telepathic.
A
is based on too small a sample to yield a reliable conclusion
We don’t know how many friends and relatives Taylor observed. But even if he only observed a few, his conclusion is that telepathy is possible, not that most or all friends and relatives are telepathic. To show that something is possible, Taylor only needs to observe it once.
B
fails to address a highly plausible alternative explanation for all instances of the observed phenomenon
A highly plausible alternative explanation for why friends and relatives can sense each other’s thoughts and feelings is simply that they spend time together and know each other well. Taylor fails to rule out this explanation, concluding instead that these people are telepathic.
C
relies crucially on an illegitimate appeal to emotion
Taylor talks about people’s thoughts and feelings, but his argument doesn’t rely on an appeal to emotion. He just notes that friends and relatives can sometimes sense each other’s emotions.
D
presumes, without providing justification, that one can never know what a stranger is thinking or feeling
Taylor’s argument only addresses friends’ and relatives’ ability to sense each other’s thoughts and feelings. He doesn’t make any assumptions about strangers. Whether strangers can sometimes sense people’s thoughts and feelings has no impact on Taylor’s argument.
E
appeals to a premise one would accept only if one already accepted the truth of the conclusion
This is the cookie-cutter flaw of circular reasoning. Taylor doesn't make this mistake. One can accept his premise— that friends and relatives can often sense each other’s thoughts and feelings— without first accepting his conclusion— that telepathy is possible.
A
The chemicals used in the study closely but not perfectly reproduced the corresponding natural scents.
B
The subjects in the study were tested in the environments where they usually work.
C
Most members of the control group had participated in several earlier studies that involved the identification of scents.
D
Every sulfur-emitting factory with workers participating in the study also emits other noxious fumes.
E
Because of the factories’ locations, the factory workers were less likely than those in the control group to have been exposed to many of the scents used in the study.
Medical school professor: Most malpractice suits arise out of patients’ perceptions that their doctors are acting negligently or carelessly. Many doctors now regard medicine as a science rather than an art, and are less compassionate as a result. Harried doctors sometimes treat patients rudely, discourage them from asking questions, or patronize them. Lawsuits could be avoided if doctors learned to listen better to patients. Unfortunately, certain economic incentives encourage doctors to treat patients rudely.
Summary
A Medical School Professor explains that most malpractice suits arise because patients believe their doctor is acting negligently or carelessly. Many doctors are less compassionate now because they view medicine as a science. If doctors learned to listen to their patients better, lawsuits could be avoided. However, economic incentives encourage doctors to be rude.
Strongly Supported Conclusions
Some economic incentives result in lawsuits against doctors
Doctors could reduce the amount of lawsuits they face by being better listeners
A
Economic incentives to treat patients rudely are the main cause of doctors being sued for malpractice.
This is too strong to support. The stimulus says that economic incentives are *a* factor, but nothing says it is the *sole* factor
B
The economic incentives in the health care system encourage doctors to regard medicine as a science rather than as an art.
The stimulus only says that economic incentives encourage doctors to treat their patients rudely. The fact that doctors view medicine as a science is an independent factor (they do not impact each other)
C
Malpractice suits brought against doctors are, for the most part, unjustified.
This is too strong to support. The stimulus does not say anything about whether or not malpractice suits are justified.
D
The scientific outlook in medicine should be replaced by an entirely different approach to medicine.
This is far too strong to support. You need to make a bunch of unwarranted assumptions about the author’s POV to make this work.
E
Doctors foster, by their actions, the perception that they do not really care about their patients.
The stimulus says that many doctors view medicine as a science rather than an art, which makes them less compassionate. Thus, this statement is easily supported.
A
While both surveys found the same species of animals in the park, the more recent survey found greater numbers of animals belonging to each species.
B
The more recent survey was taken in the summer, when the diversity of wildlife in the park is at its greatest.
C
Migration of wildlife into the park from the adjacent developing areas has increased animal populations to levels beyond those that the resources of the park could have supported a decade ago.
D
The most recent techniques for surveying wildlife are better at locating difficult-to-find animals than were older techniques.
E
The more recent survey not only involved counting the animals found in the park but, unlike the earlier survey, also provided an inventory of the plant life found within the park.