Theodora: You are wrong in claiming that vegetarianism cannot lead to nutritional deficiencies. If most people became vegetarians, some of those losing jobs due to the collapse of many meat-based industries would fall into poverty and hence be unable to afford a nutritionally adequate diet.
Summarize Argument: Counter-Position
Theodora concludes that Marcia is wrong in claiming that vegetarianism cannot lead to nutritional deficiencies. She supports this by saying that if most people became vegetarians, those in meat industries would lose their jobs, fall into poverty, and struggle to afford a healthy diet.
Identify and Describe Flaw
This is an example of a “straw man” argument, where the author misrepresents her opponent’s argument, making it easier to attack. Here, Theodora concludes that Marcia is wrong in claiming that vegetarianism cannot lead to nutritional deficiencies. But Marcia never made this claim. Instead, Marcia claimed that not all vegetarian diets lead to nutritional deficiencies. So Theodora is attacking a distorted version of Marcia’s argument, rather than her actual argument.
A
is directed toward disproving a claim that Marcia did not make
Theodora’s argument is directed toward disproving the claim that vegetarianism cannot lead to nutritional deficiencies. But Marcia merely claimed that not all vegetarian diets lead to nutritional deficiencies.
B
ignores the results of the research cited by Marcia
Theodora does ignore Marcia’s research, but this isn’t what makes her argument most vulnerable to criticism. Even if she had addressed Marcia’s research, her argument would still be vulnerable to criticism on the grounds that it misrepresents a key claim made by Marcia.
C
takes for granted that no meat-based industries will collapse unless most people become vegetarians
Theodora assumes that some meat-based industries would collapse if most people became vegetarians. She doesn't assume that no meat-based industries would collapse unless most people became vegetarians.
D
uses the word “diet” in a nontechnical sense whereas Marcia’s argument uses this term in a medical sense
This is the cookie-cutter flaw of equivocation, where the same term is used in different ways. Theodora doesn’t make this mistake; she uses the word “diet” in the same way as Marcia.
E
takes for granted that people losing jobs in meat-based industries would become vegetarians
Theodora assumes that people in meat based-industries would lose their jobs if most people became vegetarians. She never assumes that the people who lose their jobs would all become vegetarians themselves.
Summarize Argument
The musicologist claims that the piano should be called a percussion instrument as opposed to a stringed instrument. This is because the mechanical process through which an instrument produces sound determines how it should be classified, and the strings which vibrate to produce piano sounds do so because of the impact of hammers.
Identify Conclusion
The conclusion is that the piano should be classified as a percussion instrument as opposed to a stringed one: “the piano is properly called a percussion instrument, not a stringed instrument.”
A
Musical instruments should be classified according to the mechanical actions through which they produce sound.
This is a premise. The musicologist uses this to support the conclusion that the piano is a percussion instrument.
B
Musical instruments should not be classified based on the way musicians interact with them.
This idea is not discussed in the stimulus.
C
Some people classify the piano as a stringed instrument because of the way the piano produces sound.
The musicologist does not make a claim about whether or why some people classify the piano as a stringed instrument.
D
The piano should be classified as a stringed instrument rather than as a percussion instrument.
(D) is trying to trick to us! The musicologist is arguing that the piano should be classified as a percussion instrument rather than a stringed instrument, not the other way around!
E
It is correct to classify the piano as a percussion instrument rather than as a stringed instrument.
This rephrases the conclusion.