Flawed ReasoningDiff: Medium
Logic Breakdown
Passage Summary: A survey found that older people were more likely to stay quiet when asked about their money over the phone, so the researchers concluded that people get more private about their finances as they get older.
Conclusion: People generally become less willing to share personal financial details with strangers over the phone as they age.
Reasoning: A phone survey of 10,000 people found that older respondents were more likely to refuse to answer questions about their income and savings than younger respondents.
Analysis: This argument falls into a classic trap by confusing a snapshot of different age groups with a trend that happens to individuals over time. It assumes that because the elderly are currently more private, they must have been more open when they were younger. Perhaps these older folks were simply raised in a more private generation and have always been tight-lipped about their wallets. Look for an answer that points out the failure to consider that this might be a generational difference rather than a result of the aging process itself.
Conclusion: People generally become less willing to share personal financial details with strangers over the phone as they age.
Reasoning: A phone survey of 10,000 people found that older respondents were more likely to refuse to answer questions about their income and savings than younger respondents.
Analysis: This argument falls into a classic trap by confusing a snapshot of different age groups with a trend that happens to individuals over time. It assumes that because the elderly are currently more private, they must have been more open when they were younger. Perhaps these older folks were simply raised in a more private generation and have always been tight-lipped about their wallets. Look for an answer that points out the failure to consider that this might be a generational difference rather than a result of the aging process itself.
Passage Stimulus
Passage Redacted
Unlock Full Passage9.The argument above is vulnerable to criticism on the grounds that the argument
Correct Answer
A
Correct. The conclusion implies a within-person aging effect (“people are more willing when they are younger than when they are older”), but the evidence is only cross-sectional. There is no evidence that the same individuals would have responded differently years earlier, so the argument fails to rule out cohort differences.
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