Match each flawed argument on the left with the abstract description of its logical error on the right.
- If a commercial airline upgrades its fleet to next-generation jets, its fuel efficiency will inevitably improve. Skyline Airways has reported improved fuel efficiency this year. Therefore, Skyline Airways must have upgraded its fleet to next-generation jets.Takes a condition that is sufficient to guarantee a particular outcome as one that is necessary for that outcome.
- Recent labor market data reveals that regions with the highest number of co-working spaces also experience the highest rates of freelance job growth. Therefore, opening more co-working spaces directly causes freelance job growth in a region.Concludes that one phenomenon causes another merely because the two phenomena are frequently observed together.
- Every individual brick used in the exterior facade of the new stadium is extremely light and can be easily lifted by one person. Consequently, the fully assembled stadium facade must also be extremely light and easily lifted by one person.Draws a conclusion about the properties of a whole based solely on the properties of its constituent parts.
- The national constitution guarantees the right to a free press. Since the dominant media conglomerate charges exorbitant subscription fees for its daily newspaper, it is clearly violating the constitution.Relies on the shifting meaning of a crucial term between the premises and the conclusion.
Answer
The correct matches are: the airline argument matches the sufficient/necessary flaw, the labor market argument matches the correlation/causation flaw, the stadium argument matches the whole/part flaw, and the newspaper argument matches the shifting meaning flaw.
Each argument contains a specific, distinct logical error that maps exactly to one abstract description. The airline argument illegally reverses a conditional statement. The labor market argument confuses correlation for causation. The stadium argument commits a part-to-whole composition error. Finally, the newspaper argument equivocates on the meaning of the word 'free'.
Step-by-Step Solution
Key Concept
Identifying abstract descriptions of logical flaws (Parallel Flaw)