Flawed ReasoningDiff: Medium
Logic Breakdown
Passage Summary: Catmull thinks that because historians can't agree on what happened in the past, they aren't actually finding the truth; they're just making up stories.
Conclusion: Historians are essentially fiction writers who fail to establish objective historical facts.
Reasoning: Because different historians reach different conclusions about the same events, it must be impossible for them to determine the actual truth.
Analysis: Catmull makes a massive leap from 'disagreement' to 'total lack of truth.' Just because two people argue over who ate the last cookie doesn't mean the cookie never existed or that the truth is a myth. The argument ignores the possibility that historians are using evidence to get closer to the truth, even if they don't reach a perfect consensus. Look for an answer that identifies this jump from a lack of agreement to a lack of objective reality.
Conclusion: Historians are essentially fiction writers who fail to establish objective historical facts.
Reasoning: Because different historians reach different conclusions about the same events, it must be impossible for them to determine the actual truth.
Analysis: Catmull makes a massive leap from 'disagreement' to 'total lack of truth.' Just because two people argue over who ate the last cookie doesn't mean the cookie never existed or that the truth is a myth. The argument ignores the possibility that historians are using evidence to get closer to the truth, even if they don't reach a perfect consensus. Look for an answer that identifies this jump from a lack of agreement to a lack of objective reality.
Passage Stimulus
Passage Redacted
Unlock Full Passage21.The reasoning in Catmull's argument is flawed because the argument
Correct Answer
B
B pinpoints the core flaw: from the fact that different historians have reached different conclusions, the argument concludes that none is true. Disagreement does not entail universal falsehood.
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