People were asked in a survey how old they felt. They replied, almost

Question

People were asked in a survey how old they felt. They replied, almost unanimously despite a great diversity of ages, with a number that was 75 percent of their real age. There is, however, a problem in understanding this sort of response. For example, suppose it meant that a 48-year-old man was claiming to feel as he felt at 36. But at age 36 he would have said he felt like a man of 27, and at 27 he would have said he felt just over 20, and so on into childhood. And surely, that 48-year-old man did not mean to suggest that he felt like a child!

Which one of the following techniques of reasoning is employed in the argument?

Which one of the following techniques of reasoning is employed in the argument?

(A) projecting from responses collected at one time from many individuals of widely different ages to hypothetical earlier responses of a single individual at some of those ages

(B) reinterpreting what certain people actually said in the light of what would, in the circumstances, have been the most reasonable thing for them to say

(C) qualifying an overly sweeping generalization in light of a single well chosen counterexample

(D) deriving a contradiction from a pair of statements in order to prove that at least one of those statements is false

(E) analyzing an unexpected unanimity among respondents as evidence, not of a great uniformity of opinion among those respondents, but of their successful manipulation by their questioners

Shivan21 · Answer

Prethinking :
- People usually think of them as 75% of their actual age
- It is problematic to understand these responses because a 48 years old thinks of himself as 36, but if he is 36 then he thinks he is 28 and so on.

Clearly there is a flaw in this argument since If I am 48 and I feel like 36, in reality I am still 48. And I am not going to think that since I feel like 36, I should again think of my self as 75% of age 36.

So basically we have to find an option that explains this reasoning of the argument.

This option kind of explains the thinking of the author of the argument. Lets look at it in detail.
"Projecting from responses collected at one time from many individuals of widely different ages": Yes the responses were collected from diverse people of different ages
"Projecting those to hypothetical earlier responses of a single individual at some of those ages": Now the above ages are applied to "hypothetical earlier responses" of a single individual i.e. They have taken ages of 48, 36, 28 etc. and applied it to one single individual. Now a single individual cannot be of all these ages at one single time. Therefore the argument hypothesizes the same.
So this option correctly elaborates the reasoning of the argument, hence is correct. 
 There is reinterpretation happening but not of "most reasonable thing for them to say". In fact argument is hypothesizing the findings to a single individual 
 The counterexample in the article doesnt make much sense and hence cant be categorized as "well chosen". A single individual cannot be of all these ages at one single time.
 The argument finds the reasoning difficult to explain but doesnt term it as false
 There is no "successful manipulation" that is happening in the argument

So IMO the answer is A.

8Harshitsharma · Answer

How do we reject choice C?

By using the counterexample of the given hypothetical scenario, the author qualifies a possible overly generalized inference (of a 48 YO man feeling like a child) by stating that clearly, the 48-year-old man did not mean to say he felt like a child!

siddhantvarma · Answer

For option C to hold, it would involve presenting a counterexample to limit or refine a generalization. There is no counterexample used to qualify a generalization.
 
 8Harshitsharma  I think the argument does not provide a counterexample; instead it shows the logical consequences of a generalization (the 75% rule) by applying it consistently.

siddhantvarma · Answer

Originally when I attempted this as a timed question, I got it incorrect simply because I could eliminate A between A and E and I could not interpret what E meant so I assumed if I could eliminate A, E should be the correct answer. The grounds on which I eliminated A were logically incorrect. While reviewing this question, it made so much sense why A fits to be the right answer. The argument presented in the passage is concerned with understanding the survey responses where people reported feeling 75 per cent of their actual age. The argument illustrates the problem of such responses by tracing how a person's feelings age at one point in time would change over the years, ultimately leading to an unreasonable conclusion.

To analyze the reasoning technique used in the argument, let's break down the argument step by step:
 
  Survey Response : People of various ages report feeling 75 percent of their real age. 
  Example : A 48-year-old man says he feels 36 (75% of 48). 
  Chain of Responses :
 
 At 36, he would say he felt 27 (75% of 36). 
 At 27, he would say he felt 20.25 (75% of 27). 
 Continuing this pattern implies he would feel progressively younger.   
  Conclusion : The 48-year-old man cannot mean he feels like a child, suggesting the original claim is problematic.  
The technique of reasoning involves projecting from the responses collected at one time from many individuals of different ages and applying those responses hypothetically to a single individual at various ages. This projection reveals the inconsistency or implausibility of the original claim.

Let's analyze each answer choice and explain why it is correct or incorrect:

(A) projecting from responses collected at one time from many individuals of widely different ages to hypothetical earlier responses of a single individual at some of those ages

This accurately describes the technique used in the argument. The author takes responses from people of various ages (75% of their real age) and applies this logic to the same individual at different ages to show the inconsistency.
  Correct :  This is the technique employed in the argument.

(B) reinterpreting what certain people actually said in the light of what would, in the circumstances, have been the most reasonable thing for them to say

This would mean the argument is modifying the original statements of the respondents to what they should have said given the circumstances, which is not the case here. The argument doesn't reinterpret the responses but rather takes them at face value and explores their implications. 
  Incorrect  : The argument does not reinterpret or modify the original statements.

(C) qualifying an overly sweeping generalization in light of a single well chosen counterexample

This would involve presenting a counterexample to limit or refine a generalization. The argument does not provide a counterexample; it instead shows the logical consequences of a generalization (75% rule) by applying it consistently.
  Incorrect  : There is no counterexample used to qualify a generalization.

(D) deriving a contradiction from a pair of statements in order to prove that at least one of those statements is false

This technique involves showing that two statements contradict each other, thus proving that at least one of them is false. The argument does not present two conflicting statements but rather demonstrates the implausibility of a single pattern when extended.
  Incorrect  : The argument does not rely on deriving a contradiction from a pair of statements.

(E) analyzing an unexpected unanimity among respondents as evidence, not of a great uniformity of opinion among those respondents, but of their successful manipulation by their questioners

This would mean the argument is suggesting that the unanimity in responses is due to manipulation by the questioners. The argument does not imply manipulation; it questions the logical consistency of the responses.
  Incorrect  : There is no mention or implication of manipulation by questioners.

unraveled · Answer

People were asked in a survey how old they felt. They replied, almost unanimously despite a great diversity of ages, with a number that was 75 percent of their real age. There is, however, a problem in understanding this sort of response. For example, suppose it meant that a 48-year-old man was claiming to feel as he felt at 36. But at age 36 he would have said he felt like a man of 27, and at 27 he would have said he felt just over 20, and so on into childhood. And surely, that 48-year-old man did not mean to suggest that he felt like a child!

Which one of the following techniques of reasoning is employed in the argument?

Which one of the following techniques of reasoning is employed in the argument?

(A)  projecting from responses collected at one time from many individuals  of widely different ages  to hypothetical earlier responses  of a  single individual at some of those ages  - CORRECT. Projects - yes; hypothesizes - yes; from many responses to individual ones - yes.
 
(B)  reinterpreting  what certain people actually said in the light of what would, in the circumstances, have been the  most reasonable thing for them to say  - WRONG. Whether it was reasonable or not it is not claimed neither inferable. But this choice suggests that author claim was in line to the responses which is actually not the case.

(C)  qualifying  an overly sweeping generalization in light of a single well chosen  counterexample  - WRONG. Qualifying is fine but conterexample is nowhere to be seen. The conclusion that author seems to make is simply derived from those responses.

(D)  deriving  a contradiction from a  pair of statements  in order to prove that at least one of those statements is  false  - WRONG. No pair of statements neither anyone is false.

(E)  analyzing  an  unexpected   unanimity among respondents as evidence , not of a great uniformity of opinion among those respondents, but of their  successful manipulation by their questioners  - WRONG. Whether unanimousness in responses is there or not it can't be said that it was unexpected.  Successful manipulation is also not there. This element is irrelevant to the passage.

Answer A.

bronaugust · Answer

To solve this question, let us deploy  IMS's four-step technique .

STEP #1   ->  IDENTIFY THE QUESTION TYPE

Let us read the question stem to identify the question type.
 
The stem indicates a  method of reasoning  question.

STEP #2   ->  X-RAY THE ARGUMENT

Let us now read and understand the argument.
 
 THE STATED FACT:  People, who were asked in a survey how old they felt, replied, almost unanimously despite a great diversity of ages, with a number that was 75 percent of their real age.

THE AUTHOR'S POSITION:  There is, however, a problem in understanding this sort of response.

SUPPORT FOR THE POSITION:  For example, suppose it meant that a 48-year-old man was claiming to feel as he felt at 36. But at age 36 he would have said he felt like a man of 27, and at 27 he would have said he felt just over 20, and so on into childhood. And surely, that 48-year-old man did not mean to suggest that he felt like a child!

STEP #3   ->  FRAME A SHADOW ANSWER

In order to frame a shadow answer, we must know what the correct answer should do. The author claims there is a problem in understanding the response of people, who, despite a great diversity of ages, replied with a number that was 75 percent of their real age. He then explains his position with a hypothetical example.

-> Let us say you are this 48-year-old man who feels like you are 36, which is 75% of your actual age.
-> But wait, if you actually feel you are 36, you should have felt like you were 27 (75% of 36).
-> But then again, if you actually feel you are 27, you should have felt like you were 20.25 (75% of 27).

The continuation of this recursive pattern indicates that the perceived age keeps getting younger at each stage, eventually leading to an age in childhood. However, the author says that the 48-year-old man did not mean to suggest that he felt like a child although the recursive logic leads there. By doing so, he supports his argument that there is a problem in understanding the response of those who took part in the survey.

SHADOW ANSWER : An option that indicates the author supporting his position by using a hypothetical example.

STEP #4   ->  ELIMINATE INCORRECT ANSWERS

Answer options that do not match the shadow answer can be eliminated.

(A) projecting from responses collected at one time from many individuals of widely different ages to hypothetical earlier responses of a single individual at some of those ages -  MATCHES THE SHADOW ANSWER  -  Let us analyse this answer option by asking ourselves some questions. Are there responses (in the argument) collected at one time from many individuals of widely different ages? Yes, for the responses were collected in 'a survey' and there was 'a great diversity of ages' among individuals. And has the author projected from these responses the hypothetical earlier responses of a single individual at some of those ages? Yes, he has! Do we have a reason to eliminate this answer option? No!  -  KEEP

(B) reinterpreting what certain people actually said in the light of what would, in the circumstances, have been the most reasonable thing for them to say -  NOT A MATCH  -  Has the author reinterpreted what certain people actually said? No! Do we have a reason to read this option further? No!  -  ELIMINATE

(C) qualifying an overly sweeping generalization in light of a single well chosen counterexample -  NOT A MATCH  -  Is there an OVERLY SWEEPING generalization? No! Well, while this gives us a reason to eliminate, let us read this option further. Is the author qualifying a (well, non-existent) overly sweeping generalization in light of a single well chosen counterexample? No! The author has given an example, not a counterexample. A counterexample is one that refutes the hypothesis, and the author's aim does not seem to be to refute anyone's viewpoint but to prove his point that there is a problem in understanding the sort of response obtained.  -  ELIMINATE

(D) deriving a contradiction from a pair of statements in order to prove that at least one of those statements is false -  NOT A MATCH  -  Is there a contradiction from a pair of statements? And has the author derived such a contradiction? No, and no!  -  ELIMINATE

(E) analyzing an unexpected unanimity among respondents as evidence, not of a great uniformity of opinion among those respondents, but of their successful manipulation by their questioners -  NOT A MATCH  -  Has the author analyzed an unexpected unananimity among respondents? No! For the argument, first and foremost, does not indicate the unanimity was unexpected, and second, the author has not analysed the unanimity.  -  ELIMINATE

Hence, (A) becomes the correct answer.

People were asked in a survey how old they felt. They replied, almost

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People were asked in a survey how old they felt. They replied, almost

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

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