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Chapter 4: Problem 14

Advertisement: HomeGlo Paints, Inc., has won the prestigious Golden Paintbrush Award given to the one paint manufacturer in the country that has increased the environmental safety of its product most over the past three years-for HomeGlo Exterior Enamel. The Golden Paintbrush is awarded only on the basis of thorough tests by independent testing laboratories. So when you choose HomeGlo Exterior Enamel, you will know that you have chosen the most environmentally safe brand of paint manufactured in this country today. The flawed reasoning in the advertisement most closely parallels that in which one of the following? (A) The ZXC audio system received the overall top ranking for looks, performance, durability, and value in Listeners' Report magazine's ratings of currently produced systems. Therefore, the ZXC must have better sound quality than any other currently produced sound system. (B) Moming Sunshine breakfast cereal contains, ounce for ounce, more of the nutrients needed for a healthy diet than any other breakfast cereal on the market today. Thus, when you eat Morning Sunshine, you will know you are eating the most nutritious food now on the market. (C) The number of consumer visits increased more at Countryside Market last year than at any other market in the region. Therefore, Countryside's profits must also have increased more last year than those of any other market in the region. (D) Jerrold's teachers recognize him as the student who has shown more academic improvement than any other student in the junior class this year. Therefore, if Jerrold and his classmates are ranked according to their current academic performance, Jerrold must hold the highest ranking. (E) Margaret Durring's short story "The Power Lunch" won three separate awards for best short fiction of the year. Therefore, any of Margaret Durring's earlier stories certainly has enough literary merit to be included in an anthology of the best recent short fiction.

Short Answer

Expert verified
Option D is most parallel in flawed reasoning.

Step by step solution

01

Understand the Advertisement's Claim

The advertisement claims that HomeGlo Exterior Enamel is the most environmentally safe paint because it won the Golden Paintbrush Award, given for improvements over the past three years.
02

Identify the Flaw in the Advertisement

The flaw is equating an increase in environmental safety with being the most environmentally safe paint. The award is for improvement, not for being the safest overall. Thus, the advertisement jumps to a conclusion not directly supported by the award criteria.
03

Analyze Each Option for a Similar Flaw

Evaluate each option to see if they mirror this flawed reasoning, i.e., drawing a broader conclusion from a different, specific criterion.
04

Examine Option A

Option A correlates top ranking across several factors with being the best in sound quality, inferring a specific while considering multiple criteria. This does not match the flaw as the conclusion is more narrow.
05

Examine Option B

Option B claims that because a cereal contains more nutrients compared to others, it is the most nutritious food available, which mistakenly elevates it from a food category to all foods. This reasoning is broader than what the criteria allow, resembling the original flaw.
06

Examine Option C

Option C assumes a rise in consumer visits automatically results in the highest profit increase, mixing distinct success criteria, similar but not identical to jumping to a broader conclusion.
07

Examine Option D

Option D asserts academic progress leads to the highest current performance, confusing progress with current standing. This incorrectly assumes the criteria of progress apply to current highest ranking.
08

Examine Option E

Option E suggests that because an author won awards for one story, all her previous stories should be considered best for anthologies. However, it links specific past success with broader merit, an unclear parallel to the original flaw.
09

Select the Most Parallel Flaw

Option D best mirrors the flawed reasoning because, like the HomeGlo advertisement, it equates progress in a specific criterion with overall current success, confusing improvement with being the best.

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Key Concepts

These are the key concepts you need to understand to accurately answer the question.

argument analysis
The core of LSAT logical reasoning often involves dissecting arguments to understand the point being made and the evidence supporting it. The advertisement for HomeGlo Paints presents a claim: its product is the most environmentally safe paint due to winning an award. However, understanding the underlying message requires analysis: the award is given for improvement in environmental safety, not absolute safety itself.

This key distinction illustrates the need for argument analysis to assess if a claim is adequately supported or if it stretches beyond what is justified. Effective argument analysis involves breaking down arguments to their fundamental assertions and examining the relationships between premises and the conclusion.
  • Identify the main claim and supporting evidence.
  • Determine whether the evidence genuinely supports the claim.
  • Look for any hidden assumptions or leaps of logic.
By practicing these analytical skills, students can better evaluate the strength and validity of arguments they encounter.
logical flaws
Logical flaws in an argument undermine its validity by presenting reasoning that is unsound or misleading. In the case of the HomeGlo Paints advertisement, the logical flaw lies in the assumption that improvement indicates superiority. The award's criteria focus on progress, not absolute quality, leading to an exaggerated claim about environmental safety.

These types of logical mistakes are common and can take various forms, such as:
  • Confusing correlation with causation: assuming that because two things occur together, one causes the other.
  • Begging the question: making a circular argument where the conclusion restates the premise.
  • Overgeneralization: drawing a broader conclusion from limited or specific data, as seen in this exercise.
Recognizing these flaws helps students avoid similar pitfalls in their reasoning and improve their skills in constructing sound arguments.
reasoning patterns
Recognizing different reasoning patterns can assist in understanding how arguments are constructed and why they might fail. The flawed pattern in the HomeGlo Paints advertisement is a misleading leap from specific improvement to overall superiority.

Arguments often follow patterns that include:
  • Deductive reasoning: going from general principles to specific instances.
  • Inductive reasoning: making generalizations based on specific observations (which can lead to overgeneralization issues).
  • Analogical reasoning: drawing comparisons between two similar cases to make a point.

Understanding these patterns allows students to critically evaluate how well an argument holds up. By identifying patterns, you can better determine if an argument's structure supports its conclusion.
critical thinking
Critical thinking involves questioning the assumptions behind arguments, evaluating evidence, and considering alternative viewpoints. In the context of LSAT logical reasoning, like the HomeGlo Paints advertisement, critical thinking allows you to dissect claims and avoid being swayed by superficial rhetoric.

Engaging in critical thinking means:
  • Asking questions about the validity and source of claims.
  • Weighing evidence to see if it truly supports the conclusion.
  • Considering other perspectives or explanations that may fit the facts better.

Through critical thinking, students can become more adept at analyzing complex arguments and distinguishing between well-supported claims and those that rely on flawed reasoning. This skill is essential not only for the LSAT but in everyday decision-making and problem-solving.

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Most popular questions from this chapter

Comets do not give off their own light but reflect light from other sources, such as the Sun. Scientists estimate the mass of comets by their brightness: the greater a comet's mass, the more light that comet will reflect. A satellite probe, however, has revealed that the material of which Halley's comet is composed reflects 60 times less light per unit of mass than had been previously thought. The statements above, if true, give the most support to which one of the following? (A) Some comets are composed of material that reflects 60 times more light per unit of mass than the material of which Halley's comet is composed. (B) Previous estimates of the mass of Halley's comet which were based on its brightness were too low. (C) The total amount of light reflected from Halley's comet is less than scientists had previously thought. (D) The reflective properties of the material of which comets are composed vary considerably from comet to comet. (E) Scientists need more information before they can make a good estimate of the mass of Halley's comet.

Nutritionists have recommended that people eat more fiber. Advertisements for a new fiber-supplement pill state only that it contains " 44 percent fiber." The advertising claim is misleading in its selection of information on which to focus if which one of the following is true? (A) There are other products on the market that are advertised as providing fiber as a dietary supplement. (B) Nutritionists base their recommendation on medical findings that dietary fiber protects against some kinds of cancer. (C) It is possible to become addicted to some kinds of advertised pills, such as sleeping pills and painkillers. (D) The label of the advertised product recommends taking 3 pills every day. (E) The recommended daily intake of fiber is 20 to 30 grams, and the pill contains one-third gram.

Which one of the following principles, if established, would determine that demolishing the houses was the right decision or instead would determine that the proposal advocated by the opponents of demolition should have been adopted? (A) When what to do about an abandoned neighborhood building is in dispute, the course of action that would result in the most housing for people who need it should be the one adopted unless the building is believed to pose a threat to neighborhood safety. (B) When there are two proposals for solving a neighborhood problem, and only one of them would preclude the possibility of trying the other approach if the first proves unsatisfactory, then the approach that does not foreclose the other possibility should be the one adopted. (C) If one of two proposals for renovating vacant neighborhood buildings requires government funding whereas the second does not, the second proposal should be the one adopted unless the necessary government funds have already been secured. (D) No plan for eliminating a neighborhood problem that requires demolishing basically sound houses should be carried out until all other possible alternatives have been thoroughly investigated. (E) No proposal for dealing with a threat to a neighborhood's safety should be adopted merely because a majority of the residents of that neighborhood prefer that proposal to a particular counterproposal.

Although all birds have feathers and all birds have wings, some birds do not fly. For example, penguins and ostriches use their wings to move in a different way from other birds. Penguins use their wings only to swim under water at high speeds. Ostriches use their wings only to run with the wind by lifting them as if they were sails. Which one of the following is most parallel in its reasoning to the argument above? (A) Ancient philosophers tried to explain not how the world functions but why it functions. In contrast, most contemporary biologists seek comprehensive theories of how organisms function, but many refuse to speculate about purpose. (B) Some chairs are used only as decorations, and other chairs are used only to tame lions. Therefore, not all chairs are used for sitting in spite of the fact that all chairs have a seat and some support such as legs. (C) Some musicians in a symphony orchestra play the violin, and others play the viola, but these are both in the same category of musical instruments, namely string instruments. (D) All cars have similar drive mechanisms, but some cars derive their power from solar energy, whereas others burn gasoline. Thus, solar-powered cars are less efficient than gasoline-powered ones. (E) Sailing ships move in a different way from steamships. Both sailing ships and steamships navigate over water, but only sailing ships use sails to move over the surface.

Between 1971 and 1975, the government office that monitors drug companies issued an average of 60 citations a year for serious violations of drug- promotion laws. Between 1976 and 1980, the annual average for issuance of such citations was only 5 . This decrease indicates that the government office was, on average, considerably more lax in enforcing drug-promotion laws between 1976 and 1980 than it was between 1971 and 1975. The argument assumes which one of the following? (A) The decrease in the number of citations was not caused by a decrease in drug companies' violations of drug-promotion laws. (B) A change in enforcement of drug-promotion laws did not apply to minor violations. (C) The enforcement of drug-promotion laws changed in response to political pressure. (D) The government office should not issue more than an average of 5 citations a year to drug companies for serious violations of drug-promotion laws. (E) Before 1971 the government office issued more than 60 citations a year to drug companies for serious violations of drug-promotion laws.
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