Flawed Parallel ReasoningDiff: Medium
Logic Breakdown
Passage Summary: A critic claims that all modern novels are a waste of time because three specific types of novels—psychological, action, and romance—aren't doing anything impressive lately.
Conclusion: The modern novel as a whole is no longer capable of providing any significant new artistic or social contributions.
Reasoning: The critic points to three specific sub-genres—psychological, action, and romance—and notes that they are either failures, insignificant, or formulaic.
Analysis: This argument suffers from a classic error of composition, where the critic assumes that because a few parts of a group are failing, the entire group must be failing. The critic is essentially looking at three bad apples and deciding the entire orchard is cursed. To parallel this flaw, look for an answer that takes a few specific examples of a category and uses their flaws to condemn the entire category. The correct choice will likely ignore other potential sub-categories that might actually be succeeding.
Conclusion: The modern novel as a whole is no longer capable of providing any significant new artistic or social contributions.
Reasoning: The critic points to three specific sub-genres—psychological, action, and romance—and notes that they are either failures, insignificant, or formulaic.
Analysis: This argument suffers from a classic error of composition, where the critic assumes that because a few parts of a group are failing, the entire group must be failing. The critic is essentially looking at three bad apples and deciding the entire orchard is cursed. To parallel this flaw, look for an answer that takes a few specific examples of a category and uses their flaws to condemn the entire category. The correct choice will likely ignore other potential sub-categories that might actually be succeeding.
Passage Stimulus
Passage Redacted
Unlock Full Passage18.The flawed reasoning in the critic's argument is most similar to that in which one of the following?
Correct Answer
A
It concludes that improving a nation’s economy is impossible because no government has managed to closely regulate either employment or inflation. This mirrors the critic’s error: moving from shortcomings in key components to claiming the broader endeavor is impossible, while assuming those components are exhaustive or necessary for success.
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