All the companies in Balco City have decided to freeze salary

Question

All the companies in Balco City have decided to freeze salary increments this year owing to the tough economic situation. Kevin works for a company in Balco city. So, Kevin will face a salary cut this year.

Which of the following arguments exhibits flawed reasoning most similar to the one exhibited in the above argument?

(A) Jerry has not been keeping well of late because of which he hasn’t been able to study at all. Therefore, Jerry will perform poorly in the upcoming college examination.

(B) Because of excessive traffic on the roads, Tom will not be able to arrive for a business meeting ahead of the scheduled time. So, Tom might arrive late for the meeting.

(C) The temperature in the city may fall. Due to heavy rainfall, the temperature is not expected to rise.

(D) Tom likes to travel to his office by bus. Today, there is a bus strike in the city, so Tom will not go to his office.

(E) Mobile phones will cost more in the next few months because the prices of mobile phones are not expected to be cut in the near future.

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paragw · Answer

The original argument's flawed reasoning is: From "all companies in Balco city are freezing salary increments," it concludes that "Kevin will face a salary cut." But freezing increments means no increase, not a cut. The argument wrongly assumes freezing increments equals salary reduction.

Now analyzing the options for similar flawed reasoning:

(A) Jerry hasn't studied, so he'll perform poorly.
This is reasonable; lack of study likely leads to poor performance. Not similar flawed reasoning.

(B) Excessive traffic means Tom might arrive late.
This is cautious and logical; not flawed.

(C) Temperature may fall. Due to rainfall, temperature is not expected to rise.
This is a plausible conditional statement, no flawed logic.

(D) Tom likes to travel by bus. There is a bus strike, so Tom will not go to office.
This assumes that because of bus strike, Tom will not go to office at all, ignoring possibility of other travel modes. This misinterprets the situation, similar to assuming freezing increments mean salary cut. This is flawed reasoning.

(E) Mobile phones will cost more because prices won't be cut.
This reasoning is flawed but not similar; not expecting prices to drop doesn't necessarily mean prices will rise.

The option with reasoning most similar to the original flawed argument is  (D) .

pappal · Answer

all companies in Balko decided to freeze increments-->>Kevin works for company in Balko-->>Kevin will face a salary cut this year.
FLAW-->>to freeze salary growth doesn't means a salary cut
A-not similar as displays correct correlation
B-not similar as displays conditional (might)
C-same as B
D-Tom likes to travel by bus doesn't mean that he always travels by bus to office. not similar
E-clearly imitates the reasoning in the argument, as a certain condition is provided that mobile prices aren't expected to rise in near future doesn't means that mobile prices will rise. CORRECT

Dereno · Answer

There has been a tough economic situation and all the companies in balco have decided to Freeze Salary Increments. Kevin who has been working for a company in Balco city - will experience salary cuts.

The flaw here is : Freeze salary increments is related with Salary cuts. As both can be the expected outcome of the tough economic situations. But, increment cuts can be at an earlier stage and salary cuts can be a worse case situation.

Let’s look into the options which resonate the same flawed reasoning :

(A) Jerry has not been keeping well of late because of which he hasn’t been able to study at all. Therefore, Jerry will perform poorly in the upcoming college examination.

Option A mentions Jerry is not well and hence, unable to study and thus his performance at the exam might experience a dip. This is a plausible explanation for a case. But, there can be scenarios where Jerry might outperform as well. Hence, no logical flaw. Hence, wrong.

(B) Because of excessive traffic on the roads, Tom will not be able to arrive for a business meeting ahead of the scheduled time. So, Tom might arrive late for the meeting.

Option B explains the possible outcome when some one is stuck in traffic, and they are expected to arrive late. This is not a logical flaw. Hence wrong

(C) The temperature in the city may fall. Due to heavy rainfall, the temperature is not expected to rise.

When it rains heavy, it’s natural that we might expect a drop in temperature or at least not a rise in temperature. Hence, it’s not a logical flaw as the question mentions. Hence, wrong.

(D) Tom likes to travel to his office by bus. Today, there is a bus strike in the city, so Tom will not go to his office.
 
Option D is correct because - There is a situation ( bus strike ), where he may opt for a different mode of transport to reach office. Or in the worst case - will stay at home. The option mentions opting the worst case.

(E) Mobile phones will cost more in the next few months because the prices of mobile phones are not expected to be cut in the near future.

Mobile phone will cost more in the near future, that doesn’t mean the prices are expected to cut. It may remain same also. Hence, wrong.

Option D

corruptisapiente · Answer

The Conclusion  – Kevin will face a salary cut this year 
  The Evidence  – Companies in the city in which Kevin works have decided not to provide salary raises this year 
  The Assumption  – This is classic example of the fallacy which states that there are only two extreme possibilities for every event i.e. if an event does not happen then its opposite will take place. But there can always be a third possibility that nothing i.e. no change happens.   
So the assumption in the argument is that is salaries don’t increase then they will necessarily fall. To state it in more general terms, the assumption is that if X doesn’t happen then the opposite of X will happen.

(A) If Jerry has not studied, he will most likely perform poorly in the upcoming college examination. So there is no flaw in this argument.
(B) This option looks good because if Tom can’t reach before time, he does not necessarily have to teach late. He could also reach on time. However the problem is
the use of the word ‘might’ suggesting that this may or may not happen. The correct option will conclude that this will definitely happen.
(C) This option puts the conclusion before the evidence. It is in effect saying that since the temperature is not expected to rise, it may fall. The problem again is, like
option B, the use of may. We require a stronger word such as must to parallel the conclusion of the original stimulus.
(D) The original argument assumes that if X does not happen then the opposite of X will happen whereas this option assumes that if X does not happen, then Y
will also not happen. Sometimes it may help to visualise arguments in terms of X and Y
(E) The correct answer. This option again puts the conclusion at the beginning and states that since the prices of mobile phones are not expected to fall in the
near future, the prices will go up instead. This is exactly the kind of flawed reasoning we are looking for. The use of the strong ‘will’ makes this the correct answer.

papapringle23 · Answer

I see a lot of folks confused between d and e. I myself chose D, the answer says E is correct if yes, why?

KarishmaB · Answer

Original Argument: Salaries in Balco city will not increase ("freeze salary increments") Kevin is in Balco Kevin's salary will decrease. Flawed - 'not increase' does not mean it will 'decrease.' It could stay the same. (B) Because of excessive traffic on the roads, Tom will not be able to arrive for a business meeting ahead of the scheduled time. So, Tom might arrive late for the meeting. Not a flawed argument because of the word 'might.' Tom will not drive ahead of the meeting so he may arrive on time or late. (D) Tom likes to travel to his office by bus. Today, there is a bus strike in the city, so Tom will not go to his office. Tom likes to use the bus but it is not available today. Does it imply that Tom will not go to office? No. He could take his car etc so the argument is flawed but not in the same way. Bus is not necessary, ti is preferred. (E) Mobile phones will cost more in the next few months because the prices of mobile phones are not expected to be cut in the near future. Prices of mobiles will not be cut. So mobiles will get more expensive. This is flawed. There won't be a reduction doesn't mean prices will rise. They could stay the same too. This is flawed like our original argument which ignored the possibility of prices staying the same. Answer (E) Discussion on Mimic Questions: https://youtu.be/dHU17plF2mc

egmat · Answer

papapringle23 Many students get trapped between (D) and (E) on this one because both seem to have flawed reasoning. However, parallel reasoning questions require you to match the specific type of flaw, not just any flaw. The Specific Flaw in the Original Argument: The argument states: Companies will freeze salary increments → Kevin will face a salary cut Here's the problem: Freezing increments = salary stays the same (no increase) Salary cut = salary decreases (reduction) The flaw: The argument confuses "absence of an increase" with "a decrease." These are NOT the same thing! Why (E) is Correct: Option (E): Prices not expected to be cut → mobile phones will cost more Prices not cut = prices stay the same (no decrease) Cost more = prices increase (rise) This is exactly parallel! It confuses "absence of a decrease" with "an increase." Structural Mapping: Original: No increase ≠ decrease (but argument treats them as equivalent) Option (E): No decrease ≠ increase (but argument treats them as equivalent) Why (D) is Incorrect: Option (D): Bus strike → Tom likes to travel by bus → Tom will not go to office The flaw here: Just because Tom can't use his preferred method doesn't mean he won't go at all—he could take a cab, train, or walk. This is a different type of flaw: confusing "inability to use one option" with "inability to do the activity entirely." While flawed, it's not structurally parallel to the original. Hope this makes it clear now!

DmitryFarber · Answer

There are several explanations above. If you're still drawn to D or away from E, let us know what you're seeing and we can follow up.

Bunuel · Answer

Official Explanation

The stimulus for a Parallel Reasoning question will usually be in the form of an argument. So let’s start by breaking up the argument into its components:

The Conclusion

Kevin will face a salary cut this year.

The Evidence

Companies in the city in which Kevin works have decided not to provide salary raises this year.

The Assumption

This is a classic example of the fallacy which states that there are only two extreme possibilities for every event, that is, if an event does not happen then its opposite will take place. But there can always be a third possibility that nothing, that is, no change happens. For example, in the above argument, if the salaries will not rise, then one can’t conclude that they will necessarily fall. They might remain at the same level.

So the assumption in the argument is that is salaries don’t increase then they will necessarily fall. To state it in more general terms, the assumption is that if X doesn’t happen then the opposite of X will happen.

Let’s try locating a similar flawed assumption in each of the options that are given to us:

(A) This is actually a very sound argument. If Jerry has not studied, he will most likely perform poorly in the upcoming college examination. So, there is no flaw in this argument.

(B) This option looks good because if Tom can’t reach before time, he does not necessarily have to reach late. He could also reach on time. However, the problem is the use of the word ‘might’ suggesting that this may or may not happen. The correct option will conclude that this will definitely happen.

(C) This option puts the conclusion before the evidence. It is in effect saying that since the temperature is not expected to rise, it may fall. The problem again is—like option B—the use of may. We require a stronger word such as must to parallel the conclusion of the original stimulus.

(D) The original argument assumes that if X does not happen then the opposite of X will happen whereas this option assumes that if X does not happen, then Y will also not happen. Sometimes it may help to think of arguments in terms of X and Y.

(E) The correct answer.  This option again puts the conclusion at the beginning and states that since the prices of mobile phones are not expected to fall in the near future, the prices will go up instead. This is exactly the kind of flawed reasoning we are looking for. The use of the strong ‘will’ makes this the correct answer.

All the companies in Balco City have decided to freeze salary

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All the companies in Balco City have decided to freeze salary

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