Examkin

Question

Difficulty: MediumParallel Conditional Logic

Analyze the stimulus argument and the candidate argument provided below.

Stimulus: If the museum secures additional funding, it will open a new exhibit. The museum will attract more tourists only if it opens a new exhibit. Therefore, if the museum secures additional funding, it will attract more tourists.

Candidate Argument: If the author publishes a new novel, she will go on a book tour. The author will go on a book tour only if she receives a literary award. Thus, if the author publishes a new novel, she will receive a literary award.

Evaluate the following statement: The candidate argument exhibits a pattern of conditional reasoning that is structurally parallel to the stimulus argument.

Answer: Answer

Answer

False
The statement is false because the two arguments do not share the same logical structure. The stimulus argument is flawed, incorrectly concluding a conditional relationship between two sufficient conditions. In contrast, the candidate argument is a valid transitive deduction.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Analyze the formal logical structure of the stimulus argument.
Premise 1: Funding → Exhibit. Premise 2: Tourists → Exhibit ('only if' introduces the necessary condition). Conclusion: Funding → Tourists.
To determine the pattern of reasoning, we must translate the statements into formal conditional logic.
2
Evaluate the validity of the stimulus argument.
The argument is flawed. It presents two sufficient conditions (Funding, Tourists) for the same necessary condition (Exhibit) but incorrectly concludes that one sufficient condition leads to the other.
Parallel reasoning requires matching both the structural skeleton and the validity of the argument.
3
Analyze the logical structure and validity of the candidate argument.
Premise 1: Novel → Tour. Premise 2: Tour → Award. Conclusion: Novel → Award. This is a valid transitive deduction.
We must map the candidate's structure to compare it against the stimulus.
4
Compare the two logical structures to determine if they are parallel.
The stimulus is a flawed argument (A → B, C → B, therefore A → C), while the candidate is a valid transitive chain (A → B, B → C, therefore A → C).
Because their logical structures and validities differ fundamentally, they are not parallel.

Key Concept

Parallel Conditional Logic
Rate this question

Topics

Parallel Conditional Logic

More questions from this topic