The reasoning in each of the short arguments below is flawed due to the uncertain use of a key term or phrase. Select the precise abstract description from the right column that accurately characterizes the semantic shift occurring in each argument.
- The city's proposed noise ordinance is highly practical, as the police force can easily enforce its specific decibel limits. However, since the ordinance will drive away the vibrant nightlife that funds our tax base, it is clearly not practical.Confuses a term designating the feasibility of implementing a policy with the same term designating the desirability of its overall consequences.
- Company policy guarantees that employees will be fully compensated for any substantial loss incurred during corporate relocation. Therefore, because my transfer to the overseas branch resulted in a profound loss of my sense of community, I am owed financial compensation.Relies on an illicit shift from a purely economic application of a term to a purely emotional or psychological application of that term.
- According to the historical society, the preservation of the old courthouse is a matter of profound public interest. Yet this cannot be true, because a recent poll showed that the vast majority of the public has no interest whatsoever in architecture.Trades on the ambiguity between a phrase denoting the collective welfare of a population and a term denoting a state of cognitive engagement or curiosity.
- The critic claims the director's latest film is utterly senseless, arguing it lacks any coherent narrative or thematic depth. But this is demonstrably false, since the film relies heavily on bright flashing lights and blaring alarms, which strongly impact the senses.Exploits the difference between a word used to mean lacking in logical coherence and that word used to mean devoid of perceptual stimulation.
Answer
The correct matches pair each argument with the precise abstract description of its semantic shift: Practicality (feasibility vs. desirability), Loss (economic vs. emotional), Interest (welfare vs. curiosity), and Senseless (incoherent vs. lacking perceptual stimulation).
Each correct pair accurately identifies the specific word that changes meaning during the course of the argument, and correctly maps the two distinct definitions used to the abstract categories provided in the right-hand items (e.g., feasibility vs. desirability, or economic vs. emotional).
Step-by-Step Solution
Key Concept
Equivocation (Uncertain Use of a Term)
Estimated Time:2m 30s