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Office manager: I will not order recycled paper for this office. Our letters to clients must make a good impression, so we cannot print them on inferior paper. Stationery supplier: Recycled paper is not necessarily inferior. In fact, from the beginning, the finest paper has been made of recycled material. It was only in the 1850 s that paper began to be made from wood fiber, and then only because there were no longer enough rags to meet the demand for paper. In which one of the following ways does the stationer's response fail to address the office manager's objection to recycled paper? (A) It does not recognize that the office manager's prejudice against recycled paper stems from ignorance. (B) It uses irrelevant facts to justify a claim about the quality of the disputed product. (C) It assumes that the office manager is concerned about environmental issues. (D) It presupposes that the office manager understands the basic technology of paper manufacturing. (E) It ignores the office manager's legitimate concern about quality.

Step by step solution

01

Understand the Office Manager's Objection

The office manager believes that using recycled paper would make a bad impression because they consider it to be of inferior quality. The primary concern is the quality of paper when communicating with clients.

02

Analyze the Stationery Supplier's Response

The supplier claims that recycled paper is not inferior and historically some of the finest papers were made from recycled materials. They provide historical context about paper manufacturing to suggest that quality is not diminished because of recycling.

03

Identify the Core of the Supplier's Argument

The supplier's argument is focused on demonstrating that recycled paper has historically been high-quality and counters the perception of inferiority by offering historical facts about paper production methods.

04

Evaluate the Relevance of the Supplier's Points

Consider whether the historical information about recycled paper addresses the manager's specific concern about quality and impression. The supplier does not directly address the quality of the current recycled paper, which is the main focus of the office manager's objection.

05

Choose the Answer that Best Identifies the Supplier's Failure

The supplier's focus on historical data does not specifically address the office manager's current quality concerns, making it an irrelevant justification. Therefore, the supplier fails to directly counter the argument about the quality of current recycled paper.

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Key Concepts

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

Argument Evaluation

When evaluating arguments, it is crucial to discern the core issue at hand and how well the assertions address that issue. In the given scenario, the office manager asserts a belief that using recycled paper may convey an undesirable image due to perceived lower quality. This claim is rooted in the argument that customer-facing communications should be on paper perceived to be of high quality.
The stationery supplier attempts to counter this by citing the noble history of recycled paper and its long-standing use in fine paper production. However, for an effective argument evaluation, one must assess whether such historical context directly addresses the current concerns.

• Does the historical context alter the office manager's perception of quality today?
• Is there a current comparison of quality between recycled and non-recycled paper?

The response by the stationery supplier misses the mark because it pivots to an angle of history rather than engaging with the present concern—does recycled paper today hold up to non-recycled in terms of quality for today's standards?

Critical Thinking

Critical thinking involves analyzing and evaluating the components of an argument to determine its soundness and validity. In this context, the office manager presents a critical stance based on quality, which is challenged by the supplier's historical argument. To employ critical thinking:

• Ask how much evidence supports the notion that quality is influenced by recycling today.
• Consider whether the context provided improves the decision-making process for choosing paper.

However, the response fails to directly address the issue as it leans heavily on a historical context, which doesn't directly apply to the quality assurance needed for the modern-day office context.
Critical thinking would encourage the asker to pursue the empirical quality measures of current recycled paper, rather than rely solely on history. It suggests reframing the supplier’s data into actionable comparative quality insights, thus better aligning argument and concern.

Verbal Reasoning

Verbal reasoning is the process of understanding and reasoning using concepts framed in words. It is critical for interpreting and evaluating arguments made in a textual format. In this scenario, verbal reasoning is employed to dissect the dialogue between the office manager and the stationery supplier.
The office manager's use of the word "inferior" sets the stage for the discussion on quality, creating a target for the supplier’s refutation. However, the supplier's verbal defense fails to directly skew this perception because it relies on historical rather than current quality metrics.
Verbal reasoning requires recognizing the nuanced meanings of words and context.

• Does "inferior" necessarily equate to recycled in today's context?
• Is the supplier effectively contrasting "inferior" with historical quality anecdote?

To enhance verbal reasoning, engage with the dialogue by challenging assumptions and seeking clarity in the quality of paper used in today's settings, significantly beyond the context shared from the past.