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Question

Difficulty: MediumGeneral Method of Reasoning

Sociologist: Some urban analysts maintain that the recent widespread adoption of remote work will cause the permanent economic decline of city centers, citing the dramatic reduction in daily foot traffic in downtown business districts. However, this forecast is overly pessimistic. Just as the widespread adoption of the telephone did not eliminate the need for in-person business meetings but merely changed their primary purpose, the rise of remote work will likely transform city centers into specialized hubs for collaborative work and leisure rather than empty them out entirely.

Statement: The sociologist counters the analysts' forecast by drawing an analogy to a past technological advancement to demonstrate that the empirical evidence relied upon by the analysts is factually incorrect.

Answer: Answer

Answer

False
The statement is false because it mischaracterizes how the sociologist attacks the analysts' argument. While it is true that the sociologist draws an analogy to a past technological advancement (the telephone), the purpose of this analogy is to show that a similar situation led to a different outcome (transformation). The sociologist does not argue that the analysts' empirical evidence—the dramatic reduction in daily foot traffic—is factually incorrect.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Analyze the structure of the sociologist's argument.
The sociologist presents the analysts' argument (premise: reduced foot traffic; conclusion: permanent economic decline) and counters it using an analogy to the telephone.
Identifying the core components of the argument is essential for determining the method of reasoning.
2
Determine how the sociologist treats the analysts' evidence versus their conclusion.
The sociologist rejects the analysts' conclusion ('overly pessimistic') but does not deny their premise (the reduction in foot traffic is implicitly accepted).
Method of reasoning questions often hinge on distinguishing between challenging a premise and challenging a conclusion.
3
Evaluate the provided statement against the argument's actual method.
The statement correctly identifies the use of an analogy but incorrectly claims the sociologist uses it to prove the analysts' empirical evidence is factually incorrect.
A descriptive statement must accurately characterize the entire method of reasoning to be evaluated as true.

Key Concept

General Method of Reasoning
Estimated Time:1m 30s
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Topics

General Method of Reasoning

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