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Zorluk: KolayDistinguishing Inferences from Assumptions and Speculations

Consider the following passage:

A study of corporate executives found that every executive who completed an advanced management program recorded a minimum 15 percent increase in team productivity over the following year. Additionally, all executives in the study who received a performance bonus had completed the program.

Evaluate the following statement: Based strictly on the passage, the claim 'Completing the advanced management program guarantees that an executive will receive a performance bonus' is a valid logical inference.

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Cevap

False. The claim represents an unwarranted speculation based on a conditional reversal, not a valid inference that must be true.
The claim is false because a valid inference in Critical Reasoning must strictly follow from the explicit facts given. The passage states that all bonus recipients completed the program, meaning program completion was a necessary requirement for getting a bonus. However, it does not state that completing the program automatically guarantees receiving a bonus. Inferring a guaranteed bonus reverses the conditional logic, making it an unwarranted speculation rather than a valid inference.

Adım Adım Çözüm

1
Analyze the explicit facts provided in the passage premises.
Premise 1: Program Completion leads to Productivity Increase of 15% or more. Premise 2: Receiving a Performance Bonus requires Program Completion (Bonus implies Program Completion).
A valid inference must strictly follow from the established premises without requiring external assumptions.
2
Analyze the logic of the claim being evaluated.
The claim states that Program Completion guarantees a Performance Bonus (Program Completion implies Bonus).
To determine whether the statement is a valid inference, we must check if the claim is guaranteed by the premises.
3
Compare the claim's conditional direction with the passage premise.
The passage states that completing the program is necessary for a bonus, but does not state that it is sufficient to receive one. Reversing this relationship is a speculative error, not a valid deduction.
An unstated premise or reversed condition cannot be treated as a valid inference.

Anahtar Kavram

Distinguishing valid inferences (must be true) from unwarranted assumptions and conditional reversals
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