Flawed ReasoningDiff: Medium
Logic Breakdown
Passage Summary: Claudette knows some obscure classical music that mostly only pros know, so the author assumes she must be a pro herself.
Conclusion: Claudette is almost certainly a classical pianist.
Reasoning: Claudette knows Clara Schumann's music, which is a trait shared by most classical pianists but very few people outside of that profession.
Analysis: This argument suffers from a base-rate fallacy. Even if a high percentage of a small group (pianists) has a trait, and a low percentage of a massive group (non-pianists) has it, there could still be more people in the massive group who have that trait simply because the group is so much larger. The author ignores the possibility that Claudette is just a well-informed music fan rather than a professional. Look for an error that describes confusing the probability of having a trait given a group with the probability of being in a group given a trait.
Conclusion: Claudette is almost certainly a classical pianist.
Reasoning: Claudette knows Clara Schumann's music, which is a trait shared by most classical pianists but very few people outside of that profession.
Analysis: This argument suffers from a base-rate fallacy. Even if a high percentage of a small group (pianists) has a trait, and a low percentage of a massive group (non-pianists) has it, there could still be more people in the massive group who have that trait simply because the group is so much larger. The author ignores the possibility that Claudette is just a well-informed music fan rather than a professional. Look for an error that describes confusing the probability of having a trait given a group with the probability of being in a group given a trait.
Passage Stimulus
Passage Redacted
Unlock Full Passage21.The reasoning in the argument above is flawed in that it
Correct Answer
E
E correctly targets the hidden assumption by noting that the argument ignores the possibility that most recognizers are not classical pianists. If recognizers are predominantly non–classical pianists, Claudette’s recognition would not make it highly likely she is a classical pianist.
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