Self-study
Political scientist: Support Democracy depends on free choices, and Support choices cannot be free unless they are made on the basis of well-reasoned opinions. ██ ███ ███████████ ████ ███████ ██████ ████ ██████ █████████ ██ ███████ █████████████ █████████ █████ ██ ███ ███████████ ████ █ ██████ ████████ ███████ ████ ██ █ ██████████ ████
Summarize Argument
The author concludes that a highly literate society will be a democratic one. This is based on the following facts:
Democracy requires free choices.
Free choices require well-reasononed opinions.
Well-reasoning opinions require reading skills.
Identify and Describe Flaw
The author confuses necessary conditions for sufficient conditions. Reading skills are necessary for well-reasoned opinions. But that doesn’t imply reading skills are enough for well-reasoned opinions. In addition, well-reasoned opinions are necessary for free choices, but that doesn’t imply they are sufficient for such choices. And free choices are necessary for democracy, but that doesn’t imply they are sufficient for democracy.
20.
The political scientist's reasoning is ██████ ██ ████ ██
a
mistakes necessary conditions ███ ██████████ ██████████
The author confuses all of the necessary conditions described for sufficient conditions. This is why the author thinks a highly literate society (one with lots of reading skills) will be a democratic one.
b
fails to take ████ ███████ ████ █████ ███ ████ █████ ██ ███████ █████████████ ████████
Whether there are many ways to form well-reasoned opinion has no impact on the argument. We know reading skills are necessary for well-formed opinions. The author mistakenly believes having reading skills is sufficient for such opinions.
c
confuses the means ██ █████ █████████ ████ ███ ███████ ███ █████ ██
The “reasons” for doing something — meaning, the motivations for doing something — are irrelevant. The flaw concerns a confusion of necessary and sufficient conditions. Why people take certain actions has no impact on the reasoning.
d
generalizes too hastily ████ ███ ████ ██ ████ ██ ███████
There’s no generalization. The author’s conclusion concerns the Information Age, and the premises also concern the Information Age.
e
takes for granted ████ █ █████████ █████ █████ █████████ ██████ ██ █ █████████ █████ █████ ███ ███ █████████████ █████
(E) doesn’t describe flawed logic. If X is a condition under which Y occurs, then X is also a condition under which prerequisites for Y occur (because prerequisites are necessary). In other words, if X implies Y, then it also implies everything necessary for Y.