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655-705 (Hard)|   Evaluate Argument|         
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Bunuel
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If Sarah were a concert pianist for a major orchestra, she would be fa 06 Sep 2019, 02:26
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D
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55% (hard)

Question Stats:

59% (01:19) correct 41% (01:12) wrong based on 1027 sessions

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If Sarah were a concert pianist for a major orchestra, she would be famous. She is not a concert pianist since she is not famous.

The conclusion above is unsound because the author does not consider that

(A) Sarah could be a famous actress.

(B) Sarah could be a harpist for a major orchestra.

(C) Sarah could be a pianist with a rock group.

(D) Sarah could be a concert pianist with a minor orchestra.

(E) Sarah could be famous for another reason.
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D
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If Sarah were a concert pianist for a major orchestra, she would be fa 06 Sep 2019, 08:28
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Bunuel
If Sarah were a concert pianist for a major orchestra, she would be famous. She is not a concert pianist since she is not famous.

The conclusion above is unsound because the author does not consider that

(A) Sarah could be a famous actress.

(B) Sarah could be a harpist for a major orchestra.

(C) Sarah could be a pianist with a rock group.

(D) Sarah could be a concert pianist with a minor orchestra.

(E) Sarah could be famous for another reason.
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Premise: Concert Pianist (A) + Major Orchestra (B) = famous
Conclusion: Not famous means Not concert pianist
therefore, flaw in the argument is that the B has not been considered

D fits the bill perfectly
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If Sarah were a concert pianist for a major orchestra, she would be fa 06 Jun 2020, 01:43
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Bunuel
If Sarah were a concert pianist for a major orchestra, she would be famous. She is not a concert pianist since she is not famous.

The conclusion above is unsound because the author does not consider that

(A) Sarah could be a famous actress.

(B) Sarah could be a harpist for a major orchestra.

(C) Sarah could be a pianist with a rock group.

(D) Sarah could be a concert pianist with a minor orchestra.

(E) Sarah could be famous for another reason.
Show more

Facts given are
All concert pianists in a major orchestra are famous.
Sarah is not famous.
Let’s analyse the options.
A - This option says she is famous. WRONG
B – Individually this might seem correct, but it is important that the option be coherent with the given passage. Let’s try to club the option and the passage together and check if it makes sense. The author here is concluding that she is not a concert pianist since she is not famous. If he considers she is a harpist for a major orchestra it still wouldn’t provide any more relevant information. WRONG
C – We don’t know if a pianist with a rock group are famous or not. It is possible that she could be a pianist with a rock group and not be famous. Let’s keep this option in the basket and look at other options as well.
D – The same reasoning as C.
E – This option implies Sarah is famous. WRONG

We are now left with options C and D.
This question is flawed in my opinion, both options seem to be correct.
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If Sarah were a concert pianist for a major orchestra, she would be fa 06 Jun 2020, 04:56
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This is a tough one for me...

[C] Sarah is not a concert pianist for a major orchestra

[P] Because she is not famous

[P] And all major concert pianists are famous

We know that "Sarah is not famous" is a given premise, so any answer choice that contradicts this are incorrect. Eliminate A / E.

Sarah could play other instruments, or play piano in a rock band, but both cases supports the [C] that she is not a concert pianist in a major orchestra - in fact, these points supports the [C]. Eliminate B / C

D is correct, because not being famous == not a concert pianist in a major orchestra != not a concert pianist. Sarah could still be a concert pianist, but in a different setting (eg minor orchestra).

---

It's good to note here that this question assumes that you know a concert pianist is a classical pianist, not just one that performs concerts.

Even if you did not know this fact, D answers the question in a more direct manner compared to E.

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If Sarah were a concert pianist for a major orchestra, she would be fa 21 Apr 2021, 17:42
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If Sarah = concert pianist for major orchestra
Sarah = famous

Sarah =/= famous,
therefore, sarah =/= concert pianist

From here it can be implied that sarah being a concert pianist is the necessary condition for author to conclude that sarah is famous.

A. Sarah could be a famous actress. (Passage already says Sarah is not famous.)
B. Sarah could be a harpist for a major orchestra. (Uncertain/irrelevant to necessary condition of author)
C. Sarah could be a pianist with a rock group. (Also uncertain/irrelevant to necessary condition of author)
D. Sarah could be a concert pianist with a minor orchestra. (Most possible since sarah could still be a concert pianist but with a different orchestra)
E. Sarah could be famous for another reason. (Same with A. Passage already says Sarah is not famous.)
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If Sarah were a concert pianist for a major orchestra, she would be fa 08 Mar 2023, 09:01
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If Sarah were a concert pianist for a major orchestra, she would be famous. She is not a concert pianist since she is not famous.

The conclusion above is unsound because the author does not consider that

(A) Sarah could be a famous actress. - WRONG. Two things are wrong in this one - famous and actress. Latter being irrelevant and former being absolute opposite to the conclusion's fact.

(B) Sarah could be a harpist for a major orchestra. - WRONG. Like C, this also proves that Conclusion is right not wrong that Sarah is not a CP.

(C) Sarah could be a pianist with a rock group. - WRONG. Proves that conclusion is right about Sarah not being a CP. Need to find weakener.

(D) Sarah could be a concert pianist with a minor orchestra. - CORRECT. She can be a CP but for a minor orchestra.

(E) Sarah could be famous for another reason. - WRONG. Reasoning is wrong for something not for facts and here fact is she is not famous.

Sarah CP ----> Sarah F
Conclusion:
Sarah not F ----> Sarah not CP

The catch, however, is that CP is for major orchestra.

Answer D.
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If Sarah were a concert pianist for a major orchestra, she would be fa 27 May 2026, 22:31
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C is concerned with pianist however premise is about concert pianisit so that is why it may be wrong
jain3120


Facts given are
All concert pianists in a major orchestra are famous.
Sarah is not famous.
Let’s analyse the options.
A - This option says she is famous. WRONG
B – Individually this might seem correct, but it is important that the option be coherent with the given passage. Let’s try to club the option and the passage together and check if it makes sense. The author here is concluding that she is not a concert pianist since she is not famous. If he considers she is a harpist for a major orchestra it still wouldn’t provide any more relevant information. WRONG
C – We don’t know if a pianist with a rock group are famous or not. It is possible that she could be a pianist with a rock group and not be famous. Let’s keep this option in the basket and look at other options as well.
D – The same reasoning as C.
E – This option implies Sarah is famous. WRONG

We are now left with options C and D.
This question is flawed in my opinion, both options seem to be correct.
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If Sarah were a concert pianist for a major orchestra, she would be fa 28 May 2026, 00:00
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If Sarah were a concert pianist for a major orchestra, she would be famous. She is not a concert pianist since she is not famous.

The conclusion above is unsound because the author does not consider that

The statement only tells us that if Sarah were a concert pianist for a major orchestra, she would be famous. Since she is not famous, we can conclude only that she is not a concert pianist for a major orchestra. We cannot conclude that she is not a concert pianist at all. The argument wrongly broadens the conclusion.

(A) Sarah could be a famous actress.

Wrong. The issue is whether Sarah could still be a concert pianist even though she is not famous.

(B) Sarah could be a harpist for a major orchestra.

Wrong. This is about being a harpist, not a concert pianist.

(C) Sarah could be a pianist with a rock group.

Wrong. This does not show that she could still be a concert pianist.

(D) Sarah could be a concert pianist with a minor orchestra.

Correct. This exposes the flaw. Sarah’s lack of fame rules out being a concert pianist for a major orchestra, but she could still be a concert pianist with a minor orchestra and not be famous.

(E) Sarah could be famous for another reason.

Wrong. The passage says Sarah is not famous, so this possibility is irrelevant.

Answer: (D)
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