Self-paced
There are only two plausible views about where the aesthetic value of a painting lies: either in its purely formal qualities or in what the painting means. But there exists no compelling general account of how a painting could derive its value from its purely formal characteristics. Therefore, the aesthetic value of a painting lies in what it means.
24.
The pattern of questionable reasoning in the argument above is most similar to that in which one of the following?
a
This cardiac patient could be treated with surgery or angioplasty, among other methods. But his weak condition would make recovery from surgery a very long process. Therefore, the doctors ought to perform angioplasty.
(A) says that in addition to A (surgery) and B (angioplasty), there are other potential methods — something that the stimulus doesn’t say. Additionally, (A) doesn’t discount surgery because there isn’t a mechanism to explain how it works — it discounts surgery because it would lead to a long recovery.
b
Should the company be outbid on the new project, it will either have to lay off workers or find new business. But it does not expect to find new business in the foreseeable future. Therefore, it must be expecting to win the bid on the new project.
(B) says that if the company is outbid, it will have to do A (lay off workers) or B (find new business). It reasons that since B is unlikely, it must be expecting to win the bid. This is a bad argument, but for different reasons. (B) fails to consider that maybe the company is expecting to lay off workers.
c
History is driven primarily by economic forces or primarily by political forces. But no historian has shown convincingly that history is driven mainly by economic forces. Therefore, it is driven primarily by political forces.
(C) says that history is driven primarily by A (economic forces) or B (political forces), and that no historian has shown that history is driven by A. The author thus concludes that it is driven by B. This is the same reasoning as in the stimulus, and it makes the same mistake. It improperly dismisses A. Economic forces could still be driving history, even if no historian has been able to show it.
d
Some analysts are forecasting that if the economy expands, the inflation rate will rise or the unemployment rate will fall. But the unemployment rate promises to remain stable. Therefore, the inflation rate will not change either.
Unlike the stimulus, (D) doesn’t use the reasoning that a theory is wrong because there isn’t an explanation for it. Thus, we can rule it out.
e
If the party does not change its policies, it will lose heavily in the next election. But if it changes its policies, some people who support those policies will be upset and will sit out the next election. Therefore, it is impossible for the party to win in the next election.
(E) doesn’t use the reasoning that since we can’t explain one theory, it must be the other theory. (E) doesn’t even talk about competing theories for a phenomenon — it just says that the party can’t win in the next election.