Flawed ReasoningDiff: Medium

Logic Breakdown

Passage Summary: Because general surgeons are great at what they do, the argument claims that anyone who isn't a general surgeon must be dangerous to go under the knife with.

Conclusion: Any surgery performed by someone who is not a general surgeon is unacceptably risky.

Reasoning: Surgery requires high competence, and general surgeons possess the specific training and expertise to be considered highly competent.

Analysis: This argument suffers from a classic 'exclusivity' flaw, assuming that because one group is competent, all other groups must be incompetent. It’s a bit like saying because a Golden Retriever is a good dog, a Labrador must be a disaster. We need to find an answer choice that points out the author's failure to consider other specialists, like neurosurgeons or orthopedic surgeons, who are also highly trained. The logic fails by treating a sufficient condition for safety (being a general surgeon) as a necessary one.

Passage Stimulus

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10.

The reasoning in the argument is flawed because the argument fails to consider the possibility that

Correct Answer
B
B identifies the overlooked possibility: other doctors besides general surgeons can be competent to perform surgery. If that’s true, the conclusion that any non–general surgeon entails highly undesirable risks is undermined.
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