Bunuel wrote:
A snowstorm during the night in the city of Denver is expected to cause considerable delays for people going to work. All news outlets in the city warn that traffic will be very slow, and employers should expect their employees to be late. Therefore, all the employees at First Community Bank of Denver will be late to work.
The flawed reasoning in the passage above is similar to the flawed reasoning in which of the following statements?
(A) Testing shows that food with MSG, or monosodium glutamate, is known to cause migraines in many people; therefore, everyone who eats food with MSG should expect to develop a migraine.
(B) Theodore is two years old than Ferdinand; therefore, Theodore is taller than Ferdinand.
(C) A major power outage in Chicago occurred in an area with 300,000 customers; therefore, the majority of these customers were without power.
(D) Edward accidentally broke an antique vase that belonged to Nina’s great-grandmother; therefore, Nina will likely be angry with Edward for breaking her great-grandmother’s vase.
(E) Lunchtime is served to students at Adams Elementary at noon every day; therefore, some students are hungry at noon.
OFFICIAL EXPLANATION
Overview: Question asks the student to identify the flawed reasoning in the passage by considering which of the answer choices offers similarly flawed reasoning. The passage presents the scenario of a snowstorm in Denver, with the added information that all of the news outlets in Denver have cautioned drivers to be careful on their way to work, noting that getting to work will take extra time. The passage concludes with the statement that because of these factors all the employees at First Community Bank of Denver will be late to work. To determine the correct answer, the student needs to determine the structure of the reasoning in the passage. The passage follows this line of thought: (1) a condition or problem is established and (2) thus everyone will be affected by the condition. The problem with this reasoning is that it does not allow for any anomalies. Suppose, for instance, several of the employees at First Community Bank of Denver decide to leave for work much earlier than normal in order to arrive at work on time. Suppose that the snowstorm affects certain parts of the city worse than others, so some employees will be able to get to work without as much trouble and can arrive on time. Suppose an employee lives in an apartment complex near the bank and can walk to work. None of these factors is considered; because the passage uses the inclusive pronoun “all,” the passage’s conclusion leaves no room for anomalies. The correct answer choice will reflect this.
The Correct Answer:A Answer choice (A) is correct because it follows the pattern of reasoning given in the passage. First the answer choice claims that MSG can cause migraines; it then concludes that
everyone who eats food with MSG should expect to develop a migraine. As with the passage regarding the snowstorm, the answer choice draws a conclusion about
everyone from a general statement, without allowing for the possibility of variation (perhaps not everyone metabolizes MSG in the same way, for example).
The Incorrect Answers:B Answer choice (B) does contain a flaw in the reasoning – that Theodore
must be taller than Ferdinand because he is two years older – but this flaw does not match the flaw in the reasoning of the passage. If answer choice (B) stated that all who are two years older than others will be taller, it would have approached the same flaw. Because it does not, answer choice (B) cannot be correct.
C Answer choice (C) does not contain a flaw in the reasoning. It states that a power outage in Chicago occurred in an area with 300,000 customers, so the majority of these people were without power. This would seem to be true.
D As with answer choice (B), answer choice (D) presents a scenario that involves only two people and in which the reasoning – although flawed – does not follow the pattern given in the passage. In addition to the fact that there is nothing to suggest that Nina
must be angry with Edward, there is no suggestion that because of a general condition or statement of fact,
all people must react or be affected in some way.
E Answer choice (E) is incorrect. Although the statement does indicate a general statement of fact (that lunch is served at noon) and draws a conclusion from that fact (some students must be hungry at noon), it does not claim that
all students will be hungry. Answer choice (E) is correct.