WeakenDiff: Hard

Logic Breakdown

Passage Summary: A politician argues that because their new plan makes their local voters happy, and the point of reform is to increase overall happiness, the plan is a good one.

Conclusion: The specific reform proposed by the member of Parliament is a good social reform.

Reasoning: The goal of good social reform is to increase total happiness, and since this specific reform makes the politician's constituents happy, it fulfills that purpose.

Analysis: The argument suffers from a classic part-to-whole error by assuming that making one specific group happy automatically increases the 'sum total' of human happiness. To weaken this, we need to find a way that this reform could actually decrease happiness elsewhere or overall. Look for an answer choice that suggests the reform has negative side effects for people outside the constituency that outweigh the local benefits. Just because the voters are smiling doesn't mean the rest of the world isn't suffering for it.

Passage Stimulus

Passage Redacted

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26.

Which one of the following, if true, most seriously weakens the argument attributed to the member of Parliament?

Correct Answer
D
D directly attacks the gap: even if some people become happier, the sum total may not increase if others become unhappy. This shows that the MP’s criterion for a good reform (net increase) is not secured merely by making somebody happy.
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