Logic Breakdown

Passage Summary: Lucinda is an engineer at a university where most people in one specific dorm are engineers. Because of this, the author thinks Lucinda probably lives in that dorm.

Conclusion: It is probable that Lucinda will reside in Western Hall.

Reasoning: Lucinda is an engineering major, and the majority of students living in Western Hall are also engineering majors.

Analysis: This argument commits a classic error in conditional probability, often called the 'converse' flaw. Just because most residents of the dorm are engineers doesn't mean that most engineers live in that dorm; there could be thousands of engineers spread across ten other buildings. To find the parallel, look for a choice that says: 'X is a member of Group A; most members of Group B are also in Group A; therefore, X is likely in Group B.' It's like saying because most NBA players are tall, a tall person you meet at the grocery store is probably an NBA player.

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24.

Which one of the following arguments exhibits a flawed pattern of reasoning most similar to that exhibited by the argument above?

Correct Answer
E
E mirrors the flawed form: Most regional economic hubs (H) contain malls (M). Our city has a mall (M). Therefore, it will probably be a hub (H). This reverses the “most” relationship just like the original.
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