Eggplants are always purple. John bought a purple vegetable. Therefore, it was an eggplant.
Which of the following depicts a similar reasoning as the above argument?The argument makes this mistake: all eggplants are purple, but that does not mean all purple vegetables are eggplants.
It treats a necessary feature as if it were enough to prove identity. In simple terms: X always has trait Y; this thing has trait Y; therefore, this thing is X. That is flawed
reverse logic.
A. Jenny always eats healthy. Salmon is a healthy food. Therefore, she eats salmon.
This has a similar flaw, but it is less close. It moves from “Jenny eats only healthy food” to “Jenny eats this healthy food.” The logic is flawed, but the setup is about a person’s habits, not classifying something by a shared trait.
B. Gambling is a risky hobby. Jamie likes taking risks. Therefore, she likes to gamble.
This is similar in a loose sense, but not as exact. It moves from “gambling is risky” to “a risk-taker likes gambling,” which adds a preference claim.
C. Except for 2, prime numbers are always odd. The number 13 is odd. Therefore, it is prime.
This is correct. It has the same flaw: prime numbers are generally odd, but that does not mean every odd number is prime. Just as a purple vegetable need not be an eggplant, an odd number need not be prime.
D. Rabbits are fast creatures. A fast creature ran by. Therefore, it may have been a rabbit.
This is not the same. The conclusion says “may have been,” not “must have been.” The original argument makes a definite conclusion.
E. Bluebirds are not always blue. A brown bird was outside the window. Therefore, it may or may not have been a blue bird.
This does not match the flawed reasoning. It gives a cautious possibility, not an invalid definite conclusion.
Answer: (C)