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Difficulty: EasyParallel Flaw

If a job applicant has a master's degree, they will be offered a second interview. Therefore, since Emily was offered a second interview, she must have a master's degree.

Which of the following contains a flawed pattern of reasoning most similar to that in the argument above?

  1. The old library must be historically significant. After all, if a building is historically significant, it will be protected by the city council, and the old library is indeed protected.Answer
  2. B
    Michael arrived late to his interview, so he will not be hired. This is because if a job applicant arrives late, they will not be hired.
  3. C
    If a restaurant has a five-star rating, it is expensive. Therefore, since this restaurant does not have a five-star rating, it must not be expensive.
  4. D
    Building more parks will directly cause residents to become healthier, because cities with more parks tend to have healthier residents.
  5. E
    Most successful entrepreneurs are impulsive, since most successful entrepreneurs are risk-takers and some risk-takers are impulsive.

Answer

The option concluding that the old library must be historically significant because it is protected.
The correct answer perfectly replicates the illegal reversal flaw seen in the stimulus. The stimulus argues: If Master's (A) -> Interview (B). Emily got an Interview (B), therefore she has a Master's (A). The correct option argues: If Historically Significant (A) -> Protected (B). The library is Protected (B), therefore it is Historically Significant (A). Both erroneously confuse a necessary condition for a sufficient one.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Analyze the logical structure and flaw of the stimulus.
The argument takes the conditional form: If A (has master's) then B (second interview). It states B is true (Emily offered a second interview), and concludes A is true (she has a master's).
Identifying the abstract structure is necessary to find a matching pattern.
2
Name the specific logical flaw.
The argument commits an illegal reversal. It treats a necessary condition (getting an interview) as if it were a sufficient condition to prove the original trigger (having a master's degree).
In parallel flaw questions, the correct answer must commit the exact same logical error.
3
Evaluate the options to find the identical structural flaw, ignoring the order of premises.
The option regarding the historically significant building takes the form: Conclusion A is true (it is historically significant) because if A then B (if historically significant, then protected), and B is true (it is protected).
This precisely matches the 'If A then B. B. Therefore A' illegal reversal structure of the original argument, despite the conclusion being stated first.

Key Concept

Parallel Flaw - Illegal Reversal
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Topics

Parallel Flaw

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