Council president: Councilmember Smith has proposed a new city ordinan

Question

Council president: Councilmember Smith has proposed a new city ordinance prohibiting the use of the “bait-and-switch” sales tactic. Smith must have amnesia. Four years ago he owned an appliance store that was famous for its use of bait-and-switch. Clearly, Smith's proposed ordinance does not even merit consideration

The council president's reasoning is most vulnerable to criticism on the grounds that the president

(A) dismisses the proposed ordinance because of its source rather than because of its content

(B) takes a single fact that is incompatible with a claim as enough to show that claim to be false

(C) fails to make a needed distinction between deceptive sales tactics and legitimate methods of increasing 
sales

(D) draws a conclusion that simply restates a claim presented in support of that conclusion

(E) generalizes from a limited number of instances of a certain kind to a instances of that kind

greysniper7 · Answer

Option A is correct because the President targets the council member instead of talking about the ordinance.

unraveled · Answer

Council president: Councilmember Smith has proposed a new city ordinance prohibiting the use of the “bait-and-switch” sales tactic.  Smith must have amnesia . Four years ago he owned an appliance store that was famous for its use of bait-and-switch. Clearly, Smith's proposed ordinance does not even merit consideration

The council president's reasoning is most vulnerable to criticism on the grounds that the president

(A) dismisses the proposed ordinance  because of its source rather than because of its content  - CORRECT. The blue text suggests so. It is sub conclusion based on which final conclusion(highlighted text) is made.

(B) takes a single fact that is  incompatible  with a claim as enough to show that claim to be false - WRONG. Close call. But "incompatible" possibly between the opposite of claim and reasoning presented, and not between claim and reasoning presented.

(C) fails to  make a needed distinction between deceptive sales tactics and legitimate methods  of increasing sales - WRONG. Altogether wrong. Irrelevant.

(D) draws a  conclusion that simply restates a claim presented in support  of that conclusion - WRONG. Neither there is any reinstatement nor it is in support.

(E)  generalizes from  a limited number of instances of a certain kind  to a instances of that kind  - WRONG. "That kind" is not acceptable since the "kinds" are different. Though generalizing is fine.

Answer A.

kingbucky · Answer

The council president's argument commits a classic logical fallacy known as an  ad hominem  attack. Instead of evaluating the actual merits or drawbacks of the proposed ordinance (the content), the president dismisses it entirely based on the past hypocritical actions of the person proposing it (the source).

(A) dismisses the proposed ordinance because of its source rather than because of its content  
  Correct.  This perfectly describes the   ad hominem flaw  . The president ignores the actual law being proposed and rejects it solely because Smith (the source) used the tactic four years ago.

(B) takes a single fact that is incompatible with a claim as enough to show that claim to be false  
 Incorrect. Smith is proposing a new law, not making a factual claim that the president is trying to prove false. The president is dismissing an idea, not disproving a statement.

(C) fails to make a needed distinction between deceptive sales tactics and legitimate methods of increasing sales  
 Incorrect. The argument never dives into the debate over whether "bait-and-switch" is legitimate or deceptive. The president's issue is entirely with Smith himself.

(D) draws a conclusion that simply restates a claim presented in support of that conclusion  
 Incorrect. This describes circular reasoning. The president's reasoning is flawed, but it is a linear attack on Smith's character, not a circular loop.

(E) generalizes from a limited number of instances of a certain kind to a instances of that kind  
 Incorrect. This describes a hasty generalization (e.g., "Smith's store did it, so all stores do it"). The president is not making a broad generalization; he is making a specific, targeted attack against Smith's proposal.

Council president: Councilmember Smith has proposed a new city ordinan

Prep Toolkit

Top 5 GMAT Debrief Videos

615 to 715 in 15 Days (Ria's Strategies)

More than Quant/Verbal Abilities: Speed vs. Accuracy

745 with Only Self-Prep and GMAT Club

From 555 to 765: 210-point Improvement

Perfect 805 Score Debrief by Julia

My Rewards

GMAT Critical Reasoning (CR) Questions

Council president: Councilmember Smith has proposed a new city ordinan

Prep Toolkit

615 to 715 in 15 Days (Ria's Strategies)

More than Quant/Verbal Abilities: Speed vs. Accuracy

745 with Only Self-Prep and GMAT Club

From 555 to 765: 210-point Improvement

Perfect 805 Score Debrief by Julia

My Rewards