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VyshakhR1995
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Many houses that do not meet the building code will collapse 24 Apr 2017, 05:59
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D
Be sure to select an answer first to save it in the Error Log before revealing the correct answer (OA)!

Difficulty:

65% (hard)

Question Stats:

53% (01:30) correct 47% (01:29) wrong based on 444 sessions

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Many houses that do not meet the building code will collapse in the next earthquake. To meet the building code, houses must contain structural stabilizers sufficient to withstand an earthquake of 6 or lesser magnitude on the Richter scale. Dora’s house meets the building code , so Dora’s house will survive the next earthquake.

In the argument above, the two portions in boldface play which of the following roles?

A. The first portion is a conclusion that must be true based on the evidence; the second portion is a conclusion that is not necessarily true based on the evidence.

B. The first portion is a conclusion that must be true based on the evidence; the second portion is evidence in support of that conclusion.

C. The first portion is a conclusion that is not necessarily true based on the evidence; the second portion is evidence in support of that conclusion.

D. The first portion is evidence that supports the argument; the second portion is a conclusion that is not necessarily true based on the evidence.

E. The first portion is evidence that supports the argument; the second portion is a conclusion that must be true based on the evidence.
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D
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Many houses that do not meet the building code will collapse 24 Apr 2017, 14:14
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An easy "D"

Many houses that do not meet the building code will collapse in the next earthquake. To meet
the building code, houses must contain structural stabilizers sufficient to withstand an earthquake
of 6 or lesser magnitude on the Richter scale.Dora’s house meets the building code , so
Dora’s house will survive the next earthquake.

In the argument above, the two portions in boldface play which of the following roles?

A. The first portion is a conclusion that must be true based on the evidence; the second
portion is a conclusion that is not necessarily true based on the evidence. - First is not a conclusion

B. The first portion is a conclusion that must be true based on the evidence; the second portion
is evidence in support of that conclusion. - First is not a conclusion

C. The first portion is a conclusion that is not necessarily true based on the evidence; the
second portion is evidence in support of that conclusion. - First is not a conclusion

D. The first portion is evidence that supports the argument; the second portion is a conclusion
that is not necessarily true based on the evidence. - Correct

E. The first portion is evidence that supports the argument; the second portion is a conclusion
that must be true based on the evidence.- The premise states that houses will not collapse if they have a structure to withstand an earthquake of 6 or lesser magnitude. Consider a situation if an earthquake of magnitude >6 (say 10) occurs: in such a scenario Dora's house will collapse. Thus second part of the option is wrong
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Many houses that do not meet the building code will collapse 28 Jun 2020, 02:27
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some expert please explain E???
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Many houses that do not meet the building code will collapse 29 Jun 2020, 08:25
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AbhishekDhanraJ72
some expert please explain E???
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Hi Abhishek

The overall conclusion of the argument is the second bold face portion (BF2) ie; that "Dora’s house will survive the next earthquake". This is based on the reasoning/fact that "Dora’s house meets the building code" ie; the first bold face portion (BF1).

Therefore, BF1 is evidence that supports the overall conclusion of the argument, or, merely, "the argument". This part of option (E) is correct.

From the other facts presented in the stimulus, we know that, to meet the building code, "houses must...withstand an earthquake of 6 or lesser magnitude on the Richter scale". Given that Dora's house meets the code, we can be sure that it will withstand an earthquake measuring 6 or less. However, BF2 does not state this - it states that "Dora’s house will survive the next earthquake". We do not know whether the "next earthquake" will definitely measure 6 or less on the Richter scale. Therefore, we cannot say for sure that BF2 ie; "the conclusion", "must be true" as is stated in option (E).

Therefore, option (E) is incorrect. Hope this helps.
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Many houses that do not meet the building code will collapse 25 Apr 2026, 05:02
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I understand the logic behind not knowing if the next earthquake is 6 richter or not. But here the option states, "based on the evidence". And the evidence clearly states: " Many houses that do not meet the building code will collapse in the next earthquake.", which implies " Houses that do meet the building code will not collapse in the next earthquake ". (If A then B, if not A then not B logic).
So according to this logic Option E sounds like the logical answer. Can someone help to find the error in this logic?

VyshakhR1995
Many houses that do not meet the building code will collapse in the next earthquake. To meet the building code, houses must contain structural stabilizers sufficient to withstand an earthquake of 6 or lesser magnitude on the Richter scale. Dora’s house meets the building code , so Dora’s house will survive the next earthquake.

In the argument above, the two portions in boldface play which of the following roles?

A. The first portion is a conclusion that must be true based on the evidence; the second portion is a conclusion that is not necessarily true based on the evidence.

B. The first portion is a conclusion that must be true based on the evidence; the second portion is evidence in support of that conclusion.

C. The first portion is a conclusion that is not necessarily true based on the evidence; the second portion is evidence in support of that conclusion.

D. The first portion is evidence that supports the argument; the second portion is a conclusion that is not necessarily true based on the evidence.

E. The first portion is evidence that supports the argument; the second portion is a conclusion that must be true based on the evidence.
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Many houses that do not meet the building code will collapse 25 Apr 2026, 07:00
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Many houses that do not meet the building code will collapse in the next earthquake. To meet the building code, houses must contain structural stabilizers sufficient to withstand an earthquake of 6 or lesser magnitude on the Richter scale. Dora’s house meets the building code, so Dora’s house will survive the next earthquake.

In the argument above, the two portions in boldface play which of the following roles?

The argument gives us a fact about Dora’s house, then uses it to reach a further claim about what will happen in the next earthquake. So the first boldface part is evidence, and the second boldface part is the conclusion. But that conclusion does not have to be true, because the next earthquake could be stronger than magnitude 6, or there could be other reasons the house might not survive.

(A) The first portion is a conclusion that must be true based on the evidence; the second portion is a conclusion that is not necessarily true based on the evidence.

Incorrect. The first boldface statement is not a conclusion drawn from earlier evidence. It is given as a premise.

(B) The first portion is a conclusion that must be true based on the evidence; the second portion is evidence in support of that conclusion.

Incorrect. The roles are reversed. The second boldface part is clearly the conclusion.

(C) The first portion is a conclusion that is not necessarily true based on the evidence; the second portion is evidence in support of that conclusion.

Incorrect. Again, the first boldface part is not a conclusion. It is supporting information.

(D) The first portion is evidence that supports the argument; the second portion is a conclusion that is not necessarily true based on the evidence.

Correct. “Dora’s house meets the building code” is evidence. “Dora’s house will survive the next earthquake” is the conclusion, and it does not necessarily follow.

(E) The first portion is evidence that supports the argument; the second portion is a conclusion that must be true based on the evidence.

Incorrect. The second statement is the conclusion, but it is too strong to say it must be true.

Answer: (D)
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