| Critical Reasoning Butler: July 2026 |
| July 28 | CR 1 | CR 2 |
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CR 1 Film critic: The documentary film The Decline of English Literature presents the view that contemporary British writers lack the basic narrative skills common among nineteenth-century British authors. The film's comparison is persuasive because it analyzes 20 popular, critically respected British novels, 10 from the nineteenth century and 10 from the past two decades, and demonstrates that the contemporary novels are not nearly as well-written as the nineteenth-century novels.
Which of the following, if true, casts the most doubt on the argument above?
(A) A film viewer who was not familiar with literary criticism may not be convinced by the film’s analysis of 20 novels.
(B) The film critic may favor nineteenth-century fiction and may therefore be biased in favor of the filmmaker’s view.
(C) The film’s title may predispose viewers to accept the film’s conclusion even before viewing the comparisons in the film.
(D) The filmmaker could have chosen to analyze only books that support the position she was trying to establish.
(E) The literary methods used by contemporary British authors could require less narrative skill than methods used by writers in other parts of the world.
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CR 2 It is inaccurate to say that a diet high in refined sugar cannot cause adult-onset diabetes, since a diet high in refined sugar can make a person overweight, and being overweight can predispose a person to adult-onset diabetes.
The argument above is most parallel, in its logical structure, to which of the following?
(A) It is inaccurate to say that being in cold air can cause a person to catch a cold, since colds are caused by viruses, and viruses flourish in warm, crowded places.
(B) It is accurate to say that no airline flies from Halifax to Washington. No single airline offers a direct flight, although some airlines have flights from Halifax to Boston and others have flights from Boston to Washington.
(C) It is correct to say that over-fertilization is the primary cause of lawn disease, since fertilizer causes lawn grass to grow rapidly and rapidly growing grass has little resistance to disease.
(D) It is incorrect to say that inferior motor oil cannot cause a car to get poorer gasoline mileage, since inferior motor oil can cause engine valve deterioration, and engine valve deterioration can lead to poorer gasoline mileage.
(E) It is inaccurate to say that Alexander the Great was a student of Plato; Alexander was a student of Aristotle, and Aristotle was a student of Plato.