The local newspaper published an editorial that strongly criticized the competing downtown revitalization plans proposed by the leading mayoral candidates, Howell and Snyder. Surprisingly, the Snyder campaign has called attention to the editorial several times.Which one of the following, if true, most helps to explain the surprising behavior of the Snyder campaign?
Answer(s): A
If the editorial contains criticisms of Howell's plan that were previously unknown to the public, Snyder's campaign might draw attention to the editorial to highlight these new criticisms of Howell. By doing so, Snyder could capitalize on the opportunity to shift focus away from their own plan's criticisms and onto Howell's, effectively undermining their opponent without drawing as much attention to their own plan's shortcomings.
In an experiment concerning retirement investing strategies, the simple strategy of investing equal amounts of money in all of the available options was tested against nine more sophisticated strategies. In none of the 30 years covered in the analysis did the simple strategy earn the best annual return on investment. So there is no way that it could have been the best long-term strategy.Which one of the following is an error of reasoning that the argument commits?
Answer(s): C
The error in reasoning here is assuming that a strategy cannot be the best long-term strategy just because it does not perform the best in every individual year. The argument overlooks the possibility that while the simple strategy might not have the best annual return each year, it could still offer the best return over the entire 30- year period. For example, a strategy might have more stable growth or lower risk, which could make it the best in the long term, even if it doesn't outperform the others in every single year.
Coastal resident: This community should develop a website to report the level of contaminants at our beaches so potential vacationers will know when the water is safe for swimming. When airlines provide passengers with information about delays and other inconveniences, their passengers are not alarmed but appreciate being informed. Thus, rather than alarming potential vacationers, such a website would show that we want to help them make informed decisions.The coastal resident's argument proceeds by
Answer(s): E
The coastal resident uses the analogy of airlines informing passengers about delays to argue that informing vacationers about the water quality would not be alarming but would be appreciated. The purpose of this analogy is to counter the objection that such a website might cause concern or alarm among potential vacationers, suggesting instead that it would be a helpful and positive tool.
Garcia: Recent experiments have revealed that the brain's right temporal lobe is the only part of the brain responsible for musical understanding. When the lobe is no longer functional, a person who previously could understand such notions as pitch, tempo, and rhythm can no longer understand them.Fujima: But patients who have lost the function of other parts of their brain, such as the primary auditory cortex, also lose the capacity to understand the musical concepts you mentioned. This shows that other parts of the brain contribute to understanding music.The dialogue provides the most support for the claim that Garcia and Fujima are committed to disagreeing over whether
Garcia argues that the right temporal lobe is the exclusive part of the brain responsible for musical understanding, suggesting that its loss leads to an inability to understand music. Fujima, however, counters this by pointing out that damage to other areas, like the primary auditory cortex, also results in a loss of musical understanding, implying that other brain areas contribute to the understanding of music. This shows that they disagree on the role of the right temporal lobe specifically in musical understanding.
Editorialist: Smith's proposed revisions to the income tax law would end certain tax deductions meant to encourage people to donate money to worthy causes. The result of these changes would be a significant reduction in charitable donations. Clearly, Smith wants people to give less money to charity.Which one of the following most accurately describes a flaw in the editorialist's reasoning?
Answer(s): D
The flaw in the editorialist's reasoning is that it assumes Smith's proposal, which might reduce charitable donations, must be intended to decrease charitable giving. However, Smith may have other reasons for the proposed changes (such as tax simplification or addressing fairness) that don't involve a desire to reduce charitable donations. The editorialist wrongly assumes that all consequences of the policy are intended, when in fact they may be unintended or secondary to the policy's primary goals.
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