Read the four short passages below, drawn from diverse fields of study. Each passage contains a specific error in reasoning. Select the abstract description that best identifies the structural flaw present in each argument.
- If a cryptographic network implements decentralized hash verifications, it will successfully repel coordinated denial-of-service attacks. The 'Aegis' network recently repelled a massive, coordinated denial-of-service attack. Therefore, the Aegis network must have implemented decentralized hash verifications.Infers that a condition must be present merely from the occurrence of a result that the condition is sufficient to guarantee.
- Every individual vocalization identified in the newly recorded dialect of the isolated mountain community is a variation of standard lowland vowels. Consequently, the dialect as a whole must simply be a variation of the standard lowland language.Draws a conclusion about the properties of a unified entity based exclusively on the properties of its discrete components.
- Whenever ocean temperatures drop below the historical average in the equatorial Pacific, migratory patterns of the Bluefin tuna are severely disrupted. Forecasts indicate that equatorial Pacific temperatures will remain well above the historical average this year. We can therefore conclude that the migratory patterns of the Bluefin tuna will not be severely disrupted.Concludes that a particular outcome will be avoided simply because one condition sufficient to guarantee that outcome is absent.
- Archaeological surveys demonstrate that in medieval settlements where rye cultivation was prevalent, incidences of joint disease were remarkably low. This strongly suggests that a diet rich in rye actively prevents the onset of joint disease.Takes a documented historical correlation between two phenomena as definitive evidence of a causal relationship between them.
Answer
The cryptographic network argument pairs with inferring a condition from its result; the dialect argument pairs with drawing conclusions about a whole from its parts; the oceanography argument pairs with assuming an outcome is avoided if one sufficient condition is absent; and the archaeology argument pairs with mistaking correlation for causation.
Each abstract description perfectly captures the logical error committed in its corresponding argument without relying on the specific vocabulary of the argument's topic. By mapping the conditional, compositional, and causal errors to their respective formal descriptions, the underlying flaw is correctly identified.
Step-by-Step Solution
Key Concept
Identifying abstract logical flaws across different topics by recognizing underlying structural patterns.
Estimated Time:2m 0s