Waller: If there were really such a thing as extrasensory perception,

Question

Waller: If there were really such a thing as extrasensory perception, it would generally be accepted by the public since anyone with extrasensory powers would be able to convince the general public of its existence by clearly demonstrating those powers. Indeed, anyone who was recognized to have such powers would achieve wealth and renown.

Chin: It’s impossible to demonstrate anything to the satisfaction of all skeptics. So long as the cultural elite remains closed-minded to the possibility of extrasensory perception, the popular media reports, and thus public opinion, will always be biased in favor of such skeptics.

Waller’s and Chin’s statements commit them to disagreeing on whether

(A) extrasensory perception is a real phenomenon

(B) extrasensory perception, if it were a real phenomenon, could be demonstrated to the satisfaction of all skeptics

(C) skeptics about extrasensory perception have a weak case

(D) the failure of the general public to believe in extrasensory perception is good evidence against its existence

(E) the general public believes that extrasensory perception is a real phenomenon

Hovkial · Answer

This is a complex argument. It is amenable to the usual "Premise-Conclusion" approach, but one must also combine this approach with a related approach that takes meaning and context into account.

The protagonists in this argument - Waller (W) and Chin (C) - are discussing somewhat related topics but are not in fact, responding to the same points in the argument. The subject of the argument is "extrasensory perception" (ESP). W presents reasons why ESP is not accepted to the public. It is not accepted because (a) a person with ESP powers should be able to demonstrate those powers to the public, and (b) if such a person with ESP powers existed, then they would become rich and famous. The main implication of W's argument is that ESP is not accepted by the public because noone has been able to demonstrate it and that noone who supposedly had such powers has become rich and famous for having such powers.

On the other hand, C suggests entirely different points. C does not even directly address the lines of argument by W. Instead, C points fingers at certain groups of people for supposedly dismissing phenomena such as ESP. According to C, the reasons for people not accepting phenomena such as ESP - the groups designated as "skeptics" - have to do with these groups certain inherent characteristics. C suggests that these characteristics include belonging to culturally "elite" groups who, according to C, impose their non-acceptance on others such as the popular media and the public.

Thus, we see that while W makes rational arguments about why ESP is not accepted by the public, C faults certain groups of people for supposedly negative internal characteristics that prevent people from accepting ESP.

Once we understand the main point of the disagreement, it becomes easier to isolate the correct answer choice. Answer choice (D) suggests that the fact that the public has not accepted ESP must be good enough proof that it does not exist.

W made the same point. W suggested that ESP is not accepted because the public has not been shown any proof of its existence. C suggested instead that we should blame "skeptics" and "culturally elite" people for their "closemindedness". Thus, W and C disagree about the reasons for the public's non-acceptance of ESP.

Since answer choice (D) zeroes in to this main point of disagreement, (D) is the correct choice.

rahul0909 · Answer

could anyone please explain why B is incorrect?

inimeg · Answer

B is extreme
It says “all” but waller is not even talking about all skeptics, he has given 2 points about the legitimacy of the powers

All- comprises of many aspects, but here the argument is constructed by waller on 2 points and majorly over show off of powers.

Posted from my mobile device

Hovkial · Answer

(B) is incorrect because it does not fully capture the main points of the argument.

W's main point is that if ESP were a real phenomenon, then its advocates would have successfully demonstrated its existence by convincing the public. Furthermore, these advocates would also have become rich and famous. W implies that since neither of these has happened, ESP is a not a real phenomenon.

C's makes different points. C blames certain groups for being closed-minded and points fingers at parties such as the media for supposedly demonstrating bias against ESP.

Choice (B) does not address W's points. It also misses the main point of the disagreement and only addresses a point made by C. Hence (B) is incorrect.

yc168 · Answer

OE for reference:

Overview:  
The question presents statements made by two people, Waller and Chin, and asks what they are committed to disagreeing about on the basis of those statements.

The Correct Answer:

D  On the basis of the statements, Waller is committed to accepting (D). Waller's statements suggest that Waller believes that ESP does not exist and that it is not generally accepted by the public. So Waller's statement that if ESP existed, then it would be generally accepted by the public means that the failure of the general public to believe in ESP is good evidence against its existence. Chin is committed to rejecting (D). Chin's statement implies that the cultural elite and popular media reports can bias public opinion against ESP. If public opinion can be biased against ESP, the general public might not believe in ESP even though it existed. So the failure of the general public to believe in ESP does not provide good evidence against its existence.

The Incorrect Answer Choices:

A  Waller says that if ESP existed, it would be generally accepted by the public. So the failure of the general public to believe in ESP commits Waller to rejecting (A). Chin, however, could also reject (A). Chin just says that public opinion will be biased against the existence of ESP as long as the cultural elite are closed-minded about its existence. But the claim that public opinion is biased against the existence of ESP does not commit Chin to accepting that ESP exists.

B  Saying that it's impossible to demonstrate anything to the satisfaction of all skeptics clearly commits Chin to rejecting (B). But Waller could reject (B) as well. Waller says only that if ESP were real, it would be accepted by the general public. But acceptance by the general public does not imply acceptance by all skeptics. So Waller is not committed to the belief that ESP would be accepted by everyone.

C  Waller's statements make it clear that he thinks the skeptics have a strong case. The failure of the general public to believe in ESP is good evidence against its existence. It's not clear, however, that Chin disagrees. Chin's statements just imply that public opinion is biased in favor of the skeptics. That doesn’t imply anything about how strong their case actually is.

E  Waller's statements strongly suggest that he believes that the public does not believe in ESP. The way Waller talks about ESP ("If there were really such a thing"), suggests that he doesn’t believe that it exists. Thus, the public must not believe in it since they would believe in it if it existed. Chin's statement that public opinion is currently biased in favor of ESP skeptics suggests that Chin probably agrees with Waller in rejecting (E).

Waller: If there were really such a thing as extrasensory perception,

Prep Toolkit

Top 5 GMAT Debrief Videos

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

More than Quant/Verbal Abilities: Speed vs. Accuracy

745 with Only Self-Prep and GMAT Club

From 555 to 765: 210-point Improvement

Perfect 805 Score Debrief by Julia

My Rewards

GMAT Critical Reasoning (CR) Questions

Waller: If there were really such a thing as extrasensory perception,

Prep Toolkit

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

More than Quant/Verbal Abilities: Speed vs. Accuracy

745 with Only Self-Prep and GMAT Club

From 555 to 765: 210-point Improvement

Perfect 805 Score Debrief by Julia

My Rewards