Flawed Parallel ReasoningDiff: Medium
Logic Breakdown
Passage Summary: A filmmaker believes that because their movie didn't get into a specific festival, they are doomed to lose money, assuming that the festival was the only possible way to find a buyer.
Conclusion: The financial backers of this specific film will not recover their investment.
Reasoning: If a film is accepted by the committee, a distributor buys it, which guarantees the backers get their money back. This film was not accepted by the committee.
Analysis: This argument commits the formal fallacy of 'Negating the Antecedent.' The structure is: If A, then B; If B, then C; Not A, therefore Not C. The author treats a sufficient condition (festival acceptance) as if it were a necessary one. To find the parallel, look for an answer that follows this exact 'If X then Y; Not X, so Not Y' template. It ignores the possibility that a distributor could buy the film through other channels outside of the festival committee's blessing.
Conclusion: The financial backers of this specific film will not recover their investment.
Reasoning: If a film is accepted by the committee, a distributor buys it, which guarantees the backers get their money back. This film was not accepted by the committee.
Analysis: This argument commits the formal fallacy of 'Negating the Antecedent.' The structure is: If A, then B; If B, then C; Not A, therefore Not C. The author treats a sufficient condition (festival acceptance) as if it were a necessary one. To find the parallel, look for an answer that follows this exact 'If X then Y; Not X, so Not Y' template. It ignores the possibility that a distributor could buy the film through other channels outside of the festival committee's blessing.
Passage Stimulus
Passage Redacted
Unlock Full Passage19.Which one of the following arguments employs a flawed pattern of reasoning most similar to the flawed pattern of reasoning in the argument above?
Correct Answer
B
It matches the flawed form. Features several stars → box office success; box office success → long run; thus several stars → long run. Then it concludes: only one star (Not several stars) → not a long run. That is denying the antecedent.
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