Flawed ReasoningDiff: Easy
Logic Breakdown
Passage Summary: People are afraid of sharks at night, so they only swim during the day. Because all recent attacks happened during the day, the author concludes that night swimming isn't actually more dangerous.
Conclusion: It is not more dangerous to swim at night than during the day in this specific region.
Reasoning: Local swimmers avoid the water at night due to fear, and all recent shark attacks in the area have occurred during daylight hours.
Analysis: The author is making a classic error by ignoring the 'rate' of occurrence. If everyone is swimming during the day and nobody is swimming at night, it is statistically inevitable that attacks will happen during the day. This doesn't mean the night is safer; it just means there are no targets in the water at night. Look for an answer that points out the failure to consider the level of exposure or the number of people in the water during those different times.
Conclusion: It is not more dangerous to swim at night than during the day in this specific region.
Reasoning: Local swimmers avoid the water at night due to fear, and all recent shark attacks in the area have occurred during daylight hours.
Analysis: The author is making a classic error by ignoring the 'rate' of occurrence. If everyone is swimming during the day and nobody is swimming at night, it is statistically inevitable that attacks will happen during the day. This doesn't mean the night is safer; it just means there are no targets in the water at night. Look for an answer that points out the failure to consider the level of exposure or the number of people in the water during those different times.
Passage Stimulus
Passage Redacted
Unlock Full Passage1.The reasoning in the argument is most vulnerable to criticism on the grounds that it
Correct Answer
E
Correct. The argument ignores exposure. If more people swam at night, the number of night attacks could rise, so the current daytime-only attacks don’t show that night is not more dangerous.
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