Flawed Parallel ReasoningDiff: Medium
Logic Breakdown
Passage Summary: Computers can process information in a specific way, and since humans can do that too, the author thinks humans are essentially a type of computer.
Conclusion: The human mind should be classified as a specific category of computer.
Reasoning: Both computers and human minds possess the identical ability to represent information and perform logical operations on it.
Analysis: This argument commits a classic error of equivalence by assuming that shared traits imply a subset relationship. In abstract terms, the logic follows a pattern of 'A has property X, and B has property X, therefore B is a type of A.' To find the parallel, look for an answer choice that concludes one thing belongs to a category simply because they share a common feature. This is a formal logic flaw where the author treats a sufficient condition as if it were an identity.
Conclusion: The human mind should be classified as a specific category of computer.
Reasoning: Both computers and human minds possess the identical ability to represent information and perform logical operations on it.
Analysis: This argument commits a classic error of equivalence by assuming that shared traits imply a subset relationship. In abstract terms, the logic follows a pattern of 'A has property X, and B has property X, therefore B is a type of A.' To find the parallel, look for an answer choice that concludes one thing belongs to a category simply because they share a common feature. This is a formal logic flaw where the author treats a sufficient condition as if it were an identity.
Passage Stimulus
Passage Redacted
Unlock Full Passage23.The flawed pattern of reasoning in which one of the following most closely resembles the flawed pattern of reasoning in the essayist's argument?
Correct Answer
C
It matches the flawed pattern: organisms have interdependent components; communities also have interdependent components; therefore, communities are organisms. That’s the same mistaken leap from shared feature to category membership.
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