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Difficulty: MediumParallel Principle Application

Under the terms of the regional theater's contract, an actor is permitted to miss a dress rehearsal only if they provide a doctor's note or receive explicit permission from the director. Liam neither provided a doctor's note nor received explicit permission from the director. Thus, Liam is not permitted to miss a dress rehearsal.

Which one of the following arguments relies on an application of a principle most similar to the principle applied in the argument above?

  1. A publisher will accept an unsolicited manuscript only if it is accompanied by a literary agent's recommendation or has won a recognized writing competition. This manuscript lacks an agent's recommendation and has not won any recognized competition. Therefore, the publisher will not accept it.Answer
  2. B
    A commercial pilot is allowed to fly the new aircraft only if they have completed the simulator training or logged 500 hours on a similar model. Captain Miller has completed the simulator training. Therefore, Captain Miller is allowed to fly the new aircraft.
  3. C
    A museum will acquire a private collection only if the artifacts are fully authenticated or possess unique historical significance. The museum will not acquire the Harrison collection. Therefore, the Harrison collection must not be fully authenticated and must lack unique historical significance.
  4. D
    If an applicant speaks three languages fluently or holds a degree in international relations, they will be granted an interview at the embassy. Ms. Vance was not granted an interview at the embassy. Thus, she must not speak three languages fluently, nor can she hold a degree in international relations.
  5. E
    Most independent films are selected for the festival only if they feature a well-known director or have a strong social message. This independent film features neither a well-known director nor a strong social message. Therefore, it will not be selected for the festival.

Answer

The argument about the publisher accepting an unsolicited manuscript perfectly parallels the logical structure of the original argument, applying the valid contrapositive of a necessary condition.
This option perfectly replicates the logical structure of the stimulus. The stimulus establishes a necessary condition containing an 'or' statement ('A occurs only if X or Y'). It then states that neither X nor Y occurred, correctly concluding that A is not permitted. This option follows the exact same valid contrapositive pattern: acceptance happens 'only if' an agent recommends it or it won a competition; neither condition was met; therefore, acceptance will not happen.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Analyze the logical structure of the stimulus argument.
The principle states: Action A (permitted to miss) requires Condition B (doctor's note) OR Condition C (director's permission). The application states: NOT B and NOT C occurred. The conclusion is: NOT A. This is a valid application of a conditional contrapositive.
Deconstructing the original argument is required to find an exact structural parallel in the answer choices.
2
Examine the correct option to verify its logical structure.
The publisher argument states: Action A (accept manuscript) requires Condition B (agent) OR Condition C (competition). The application states: NOT B and NOT C. The conclusion is: NOT A. This matches the stimulus exactly.
A parallel reasoning question requires the correct answer to have the identical premise-to-conclusion logical flow.
3
Evaluate the incorrect options to identify their structural deviations.
One option illegally reverses the logic (assuming a necessary condition guarantees an outcome). Another illegally negates it. A third uses a sufficient condition instead of a necessary one. The last uses a 'most' quantifier instead of an absolute rule.
Identifying the specific logical flaws or structural mismatches confirms why the distractors are incorrect.

Key Concept

Parallel Application of Conditional Contrapositives
Estimated Time:2m 0s
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Topics

Parallel Principle Application

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