Creating false marble is an art at which only those with a light hand

Question

Creating false marble is an art at which only those with a light hand can excel. Picasso, however, was a great artist, so while he did not have a light hand he could have excelled at creating false marble.

Which one of the following contains a logical error that most closely resembles the logical error contained in the passage?

(A) The police have determined that the murderer left his fingerprints on the knife. Ira’s fingerprints do not match those on the knife, so we can eliminate him as a suspect.
(B) It is true that it is necessary to work hard in order to succeed. However, smith was governor of the state, so it was possible for him to succeed without working hard.
(C) Whenever I eat nuts of any kind I break out in hives. After eating the pie I did not break out, so I know it could not have been real pecan pie.
(D) If the inventory can be sold within the next few months the business can be saved. However, since a sale cannot be concluded quickly, the business will go under.
(E) Only the brave deserve the spoils. Major Wilson has distinguished himself several times for bravery, so surely he deserves the spoils.

abhimahna · Answer

The argument is first saying False Marble can created only by those with a light hand.

Then the argument says although Picasso doesn't have a light hand, he can also create a false Marbel because he is an artist.

Strange. First it is saying light hand people can only create it then it puts some doubt on this point by taking Picasso example.

Let's find out something like this.

(A) The police have determined that the murderer left his fingerprints on the knife. Ira’s fingerprints do not match those on the knife, so we can eliminate him as a suspect.  : No such relation can be seen here. No finger prints means not suspect. The example also proves this. 
(B) It is true that it is necessary to work hard in order to succeed. However, smith was governor of the state, so it was possible for him to succeed without working hard.  Yeah. Work hard and get succeeded but then Mr Governor is succeeded without working hard. Looks very similar to the original relationship. 
(C) Whenever I eat nuts of any kind I break out in hives. After eating the pie I did not break out, so I know it could not have been real pecan pie.  Same as A. I eat something and feel something. I dint feel so, so it didn't eat that. So, no strangeness. 
(D) If the inventory can be sold within the next few months the business can be saved. However, since a sale cannot be concluded quickly, the business will go under.  Again, no weird relation. 
(E) Only the brave deserve the spoils. Major Wilson has distinguished himself several times for bravery, so surely he deserves the spoils.  Again, no weirdness.

unraveled · Answer

Creating false marble is an art at which only those with a light hand can excel. Picasso, however, was a great artist, so while he did not have a light hand he could have excelled at creating false marble.

Which one of the following contains a logical error that most closely resembles the logical error contained in the passage?

(A) The police have determined that the murderer left his fingerprints on the knife.  Ira’s fingerprints do not match those on the knife, so we can eliminate him as a suspect . - WRONG. Reasoning given is apt.
(B) It is true that it is necessary to work hard in order to succeed. However, smith was governor of the state, so it was possible for him to succeed  without working hard . - CORRECT.
(C) Whenever  I eat nuts of any kind I break out  in hives. After eating the pie  I did not break out, so I know it could not have been real pecan  pie. - WRONG. Apt reasoning. 
(D) If the inventory can be sold within the next few months the business can be saved. However,  since a sale cannot be concluded quickly, the business will go under . - WRONG. No flaw in reasoning.
(E) Only the  brave deserve the spoils . Major Wilson has distinguished himself several times for bravery, so  surely he deserves the spoils . - WRONG. Correct reasoning.

This is easy question because of simple flaw in the reasoning of the right answer. Without even trying to find the similarity in the error, the right answer can be marked.

Answer B.

Paras96 · Answer

The logical error in the passage is a form of invalid inference known as an affirming the consequent fallacy. It incorrectly assumes that if someone is a great artist, they could excel at creating false marble, even though the passage itself acknowledges that Picasso did not have a light hand.

(A) The police have determined that the murderer left his fingerprints on the knife. Ira’s fingerprints do not match those on the knife, so we can eliminate him as a suspect.

The logical error here is not directly related to the passage's error. In this option, the error is assuming that the absence of matching fingerprints means Ira cannot be the murderer. This is a hasty generalization, as there could be reasons for Ira's fingerprints not matching even if he were the murderer (wearing gloves, for example).

(B) It is true that it is necessary to work hard in order to succeed. However, Smith was governor of the state, so it was possible for him to succeed without working hard.

This option contains a logical error similar to the passage's error. It incorrectly infers that because Smith succeeded, he could have done so without working hard, despite acknowledging the necessity of hard work for success.

(C) Whenever I eat nuts of any kind I break out in hives. After eating the pie I did not break out, so I know it could not have been real pecan pie.

The logical error here is a different type called affirming the consequent. The argument incorrectly concludes that the absence of an allergic reaction means the pie couldn't have been real pecan pie, even though other factors could explain the lack of reaction (e.g., the pie not containing pecans).

(D) If the inventory can be sold within the next few months, the business can be saved. However, since a sale cannot be concluded quickly, the business will go under.

The logical error here is not directly related to the passage's error. This is an argument based on a conditional statement, and it concludes that the business will go under because a sale cannot be concluded quickly. However, it overlooks potential alternative solutions or factors that could save the business in the long run.

(E) Only the brave deserve the spoils. Major Wilson has distinguished himself several times for bravery, so surely he deserves the spoils.

This option contains a logical error similar to the passage's error. It incorrectly infers that because Major Wilson is brave, he must deserve the spoils, even though the premise is based on a general statement that might not apply in every case.

VerbalBot · Answer

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Creating false marble is an art at which only those with a light hand

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