Flawed ReasoningDiff: Medium
Logic Breakdown
Passage Summary: A Roman governor named Flavius cut funding for the arts. The historian thinks he was hated by the people because there were a lot of plays making fun of him.
Conclusion: The ancient Roman governor Flavius was widely disliked by the people he governed.
Reasoning: A significant number of satirical plays were written about Flavius during the time he was in power.
Analysis: The historian makes a leap from 'satirical plays exist' to 'the general public hated him.' However, the stimulus notes that Flavius specifically targeted the arts by cutting their funding. It is quite possible that the 'large number' of plays were written by a small, vocal group of disgruntled artists rather than reflecting the sentiment of the entire population. Look for an answer that identifies this sampling error—the playwrights might not be a representative sample of Flavius's subjects. It's a classic case of assuming the loudest voices in the room speak for everyone.
Conclusion: The ancient Roman governor Flavius was widely disliked by the people he governed.
Reasoning: A significant number of satirical plays were written about Flavius during the time he was in power.
Analysis: The historian makes a leap from 'satirical plays exist' to 'the general public hated him.' However, the stimulus notes that Flavius specifically targeted the arts by cutting their funding. It is quite possible that the 'large number' of plays were written by a small, vocal group of disgruntled artists rather than reflecting the sentiment of the entire population. Look for an answer that identifies this sampling error—the playwrights might not be a representative sample of Flavius's subjects. It's a classic case of assuming the loudest voices in the room speak for everyone.
Passage Stimulus
Passage Redacted
Unlock Full Passage26.The historian's argumentation is most vulnerable to criticism on the grounds that it
Correct Answer
B
The historian relies on satirical plays as a reliable gauge of Flavius’s popularity. That overlooks the possibility that playwrights are biased or unrepresentative of the general populace, making the inference to “widely unpopular” vulnerable.
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