Parallel ReasoningDiff: Medium
Logic Breakdown
Passage Summary: You can't explain vision by saying we see 'pictures' in our heads, because then you'd need a tiny person in your head to see those pictures, and that person would need their own pictures, forever.
Conclusion: The hypothesis that visual perception involves the formation of mental images is incorrect.
Reasoning: If this hypothesis were true, it would require an internal observer to see the image, which would require another image, leading to an impossible infinite regress.
Analysis: This is a 'reductio ad absurdum' argument, which disproves a theory by showing it leads to a logically impossible or 'absurd' result—in this case, an infinite regress. To find a parallel, look for an argument that follows this exact blueprint: 'If theory X were true, it would trigger a chain of requirements that never ends; since such a chain is impossible, theory X must be false.' The subject matter doesn't matter, but the logical 'loop' is the key feature to match.
Conclusion: The hypothesis that visual perception involves the formation of mental images is incorrect.
Reasoning: If this hypothesis were true, it would require an internal observer to see the image, which would require another image, leading to an impossible infinite regress.
Analysis: This is a 'reductio ad absurdum' argument, which disproves a theory by showing it leads to a logically impossible or 'absurd' result—in this case, an infinite regress. To find a parallel, look for an argument that follows this exact blueprint: 'If theory X were true, it would trigger a chain of requirements that never ends; since such a chain is impossible, theory X must be false.' The subject matter doesn't matter, but the logical 'loop' is the key feature to match.
Passage Stimulus
Passage Redacted
Unlock Full Passage14.Which one of the following arguments is most similar in its pattern of reasoning to the argument above?
Correct Answer
C
It mirrors the structure: the historians’ claim implies every theory has a prior precedent containing its gist, leading to an infinite regress of precedents; since that is impossible, the claim is false.
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