Since Lotta came out of her shell, she has made a lot of new friends.

conclusion ; Since Lotta came out of her shell, she has made a lot of new friends

only weakener out of given options seems to be option E ; Lotta is a very likeable person.


Since Lotta came out of her shell, she has made a lot of new friends.

Which of the following is the best criticism of this statement?

A. Lotta may have come out of her shell because she made new friends.
B. Lotta may have come out of her shell because of accomplishments at her new job.
C. Lotta may not have very close relationships with any of these new friends.
D. Lotta often has periods of introversion.
E. Lotta is a very likeable person.

ARGUMENT: L came out --> made new friends; what if L made new friends --> came out, then the argument falls.

Answer (A).

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A. Lotta may have come out of her shell because she made new friends......Reverse relation.....Her few friends made her to come out ..... Perfect criticism

B. Lotta may have come out of her shell because of accomplishments at her new job.....Irreparable

C. Lotta may not have very close relationships with any of these new friends.....irrelatable

D. Lotta often has periods of introversion.....irrelatable


E. Lotta is a very likeable person.....Doesn't works to relate the two pieces.....Wrong



OA:A

Official Explanation

Correct Answer: A

The problem with this statement is that it may reverse causation. Perhaps Lotta made new friends after she came out of her shell, but it is equally possible that

Lottas new friends helped her come out of her shell. Lottas accomplishments at work may have helped her come out of her shell (choice b), but that is not a relevant criticism of the argument; it has nothing to do with the question of making friends after coming out her shell. The level of intimacy of her new friendships (choice c) is also irrelevant to an analysis of the argument because it does not make any claims about the depth of the relationships.

If Lotta often has periods of introversion (choice d), then she also has periods of coming out of her shell, so this is not relevant (again, it does not address the cause/effect issue).
If Lotta is very likeable (choice e), it might explain an ease in making new friends or the number of new friends, but it does not connect the two pieces of the statement.