Self-study
Support Studies show that individuals with a high propensity for taking risks tend to have fewer ethical principles to which they consciously adhere in their business interactions than do most people. ██ ███ █████ █████ ███████████ ████ █ ██████ ██████ ██ ██ ████████ ████████ ████ ██ ████ ████ ████ ██████████ ████ ██ ████ ███████ ████ ██ ████████ ███ ████ ███████ ██████████ ██ █████ ███████ ███████████ ████████ ███ ████ ███████ ██ ████ ████████ █████████ ██████████ ████████ ███████ ███ ███████ ████ ███████ ████████ █████ ██████ ██████████████ ██ █████████ █████ █████ ████████ ███ ██████ ██ ██ ████████ ████████ ███ ████████████ ███ ██████████ ███ ██████ ██████
Summarize Argument
The author concludes that business schools can promote ethical behavior by encouraging students’ desire for social acceptance and discouraging risk-taking tendencies. As support, the author cites studies showing that those with a strong tendency to take risks follow fewer ethical principles, and those who have a strong desire for social acceptance follow more. Also, the more ethical principles that one adheres to, the more ethical their behavior is.
Identify and Describe Flaw
This argument assumes a causal relationship based on correlational evidence. The studies show a correlation between risk-taking and fewer ethical principles, and between desire for social acceptance and more ethical principles. From this, the author assumes a causal connection, then concludes that modifying these traits will promote ethical behavior. However, there is no indication in the stimulus that there is a causal relationship between either of these traits and adherence to ethical principles.
6.
The reasoning in the argument ██ ██████ ███████ ███ ████████
a
infers from the ████ ████ █████████ ██ ███████ ████ ████ ██ ██ ██████ ████
This is descriptively inaccurate. The author does not make this assumption anywhere in the argument. The studies describe tendencies, and the argument does not claim that these tendencies are universally true.
b
takes for granted ████ █████████ ███████ ████████ ██ ████ █████████ ████ ███ █████ ████
This is descriptively inaccurate. The argument does not compare the value of promoting ethical behavior with the value of any other goals.
c
concludes merely from ███ ████ ████ ███ ██████ ███ ██████████ ████ ███ ██████ ███ █████
This is the flaw. The author cites studies that demonstrate correlations between different traits and adherence to ethical principles; from these correlations, the author assumes a causal link, then concludes that changing students’ traits will change their adherence to ethical principles.
d
takes for granted ████ ███████ ███████ ███ ███████ █████ ██████ ███████ ████ ██████ ███████ ████ ████ ███ ███████ █████
This is descriptively inaccurate. The author doesn’t discuss what most people believe, nor does he use popular beliefs to support moral claims.
e
draws a conclusion ████ ██████ ████████ █ █████ █████████ ██ ███████ ██ ████ ██████████
(E) describes circular reasoning, which does not occur in this argument.