Self-study
Support If the magazine's circulation continues to rise as it has over the last ten years, in another ten years it will be the largest-selling martial arts magazine in the world. ██████████████ ██ ███ ███ ██████ █████ ████ ███ ██████████ █████████ ████ ███ █████ ███ ████████ ██████ ██ ████ ███ ███████ ███ ███ █████████ ███ ███████ █████ ████████ ███ ██████████ ███████████ ████ ███ ████ ██ ███████ ████ ███ ████ ███ █████ ██ ██ ███ ████ ███ ████ ████ ██ ███ ████████ ████ ███ ██ ███ ███████████████ ███████ ████ ████████ ███ █████ ████ ████
Summarize Argument
The author concludes that the magazine will not be the top martial arts magazine in a decade because the publisher has refused to allow the editor to make the changes she’s proposed. These changes are necessary for the magazine's circulation to continue to rise as quickly as it has, and it would become the top magazine were the circulation to continue rising at that rate.
Identify and Describe Flaw
This argument mistakes a sufficient condition for a necessary condition. If the magazine's circulation were to continue rising as it has for the last ten years, that is sufficient for the magazine to become the top-selling magazine. However, we’re given no reason to believe that this is the only way in which the magazine could become the top-selling magazine. Given that the argument fails to establish this condition as necessary, the author cannot conclude that the magazine will not become the top-selling magazine just because it can’t maintain the same rise in circulation.
22.
The argument's reasoning is flawed ███████ ███ ████████
a
identifies some changes ████████ ███ ███ ██████████ ███████████ ██ ████████ ███ █████ ████████ ███ █████████ ████ ████ ████ ██ █████ ███████ ███ ██████
This is descriptively inaccurate. The argument concludes that the magazine will not rise to the top, not that there don’t need to be any other changes.
b
equates a reduction ██ ███ ████ ██ █████ ███ ██████████ ███████████ ██ ██████████ ████ █ ███████ ██ ███ ██████████ ███████████
The author never claims that the magazine’s circulation will decline. The effect of refusing the editor’s changes would simply mean it wouldn’t rise as quickly. The flaw is assuming that the magazine must rise as quickly as it has in the past in order to reach the top.
c
draws a conclusion ████ ██████ ████████ █ █████ ████ ██ █████████ ██ ███████ ██ ████ ██████████
The argument’s conclusion is that the magazine will not reach the top spot in ten years. This claim was nowhere in the premises.
d
takes a single ████ ████ ██ ████████████ ████ █ ███████ █████ ██ ██████ ██ ████ ████ █████ ██ ██ █████
We’re not given any facts that contradict the claim that the magazine will be the top-selling magazine in ten years. The argument’s flaw is assuming that maintaining its rate of ascent is necessary to reach the top spot.
e
treats an occurrence ████ ████ ██████ █ ███████ ███████ ██ █████████ ████ ██ ████████ ███ ████ ███████
This describes how the argument assumes that the magazine must rise at the same rate it has in the past in order to reach the top spot. We’re told that maintaining that rate would be sufficient for it to reach the top, but the author assumes that it’s necessary.