Flawed Parallel ReasoningDiff: Medium
Logic Breakdown
Passage Summary: Logic doesn't make people buy things. Therefore, if advertisers stop being logical and start being emotional instead, people will definitely start buying things.
Conclusion: Advertisers will successfully persuade people to buy products if they switch from rational arguments to emotional appeals.
Reasoning: Rational arguments have been proven ineffective at persuading people to buy products.
Analysis: This argument suffers from a classic 'false dilemma' or 'negation' flaw. Just because one method (rationality) fails, it doesn't mean the opposite method (emotion) will automatically succeed; it's possible that neither works, or that the emotional appeals are even less effective. The abstract structure is: 'Doing X does not result in Y, so doing the opposite of X will result in Y.' To find the parallel, look for a choice that assumes the failure of one approach guarantees the success of an alternative approach. It's a bit like saying 'Since this key doesn't open the door, the other key definitely will,' ignoring the possibility that the door is simply bolted from the inside.
Conclusion: Advertisers will successfully persuade people to buy products if they switch from rational arguments to emotional appeals.
Reasoning: Rational arguments have been proven ineffective at persuading people to buy products.
Analysis: This argument suffers from a classic 'false dilemma' or 'negation' flaw. Just because one method (rationality) fails, it doesn't mean the opposite method (emotion) will automatically succeed; it's possible that neither works, or that the emotional appeals are even less effective. The abstract structure is: 'Doing X does not result in Y, so doing the opposite of X will result in Y.' To find the parallel, look for a choice that assumes the failure of one approach guarantees the success of an alternative approach. It's a bit like saying 'Since this key doesn't open the door, the other key definitely will,' ignoring the possibility that the door is simply bolted from the inside.
Passage Stimulus
Passage Redacted
Unlock Full Passage13.Which one of the following contains flawed reasoning most similar to the flawed reasoning in the argument above?
Correct Answer
E
It matches the flaw: from “people never learn by reading poorly written directions” to “if they read well‑written directions, they will learn.” That’s the same unjustified leap from the failure of one method to the guaranteed success of a different method.
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