Literary Critic: The newly unearthed manuscript attributed to the 16th-century playwright Thomas Kyd is undoubtedly a modern forgery. We can be certain of this because Marcus Vance, the world’s most celebrated abstract painter, has read the text and publicly stated that its emotional depth feels entirely modern.
Which one of the following most accurately describes a flaw in the reasoning of the literary critic's argument?
- Arelies on the term "modern" being used in two distinct and incompatible senses.
- Bconfuses an intermediate conclusion regarding the emotional depth of the manuscript with the main conclusion of the argument.
- bases its conclusion on the judgment of an individual whose recognized expertise is not relevant to the subject matter at hand.Answer
- Ddepends on unstated outside information regarding the standard literary characteristics of 16th-century plays.
- Einfers a causal relationship between the manuscript's emotional depth and its date of origin based purely on a correlation.
Answer
The argument is flawed because it relies on the testimony of an abstract painter to evaluate the historical authenticity of a literary manuscript, which constitutes an appeal to an unqualified authority.
The correct answer accurately describes an appeal to an inappropriate authority. The literary critic concludes that the manuscript is a forgery solely based on the opinion of Marcus Vance. However, Vance is described as an abstract painter. His expertise in painting does not give him the relevant credentials to authenticate 16th-century literary manuscripts. Therefore, relying on his judgment for this specific issue is logically flawed.
Step-by-Step Solution
Key Concept
Appeal to Inappropriate Authority
Estimated Time:1m 15s