PT10.S4.Q21 - the proper way to plan a scientific project

time_to_go

I really don't like the way answer choice (E) is worded. It's too ambiguous and abstract that I was not able to wrap my head around it during timed conditions and made me go for easier sounding wrong answer choice even though I knew it was descriptively incorrect!

Can someone explain to me what (E) is even saying?

And do recent tests have answers like this?

Thanks in advance!

nye8870

@"Sky is the Limit" said:
Can someone explain to me what (E) is even saying?

I think the real flaw is that there is an assumption that failing to have a "proper" plan for an endeavor means the endeavor should no longer occur. Now if the stimulus had also stated that "when a 'proper' plan for an endeavor is missing necessary conditions then the endeavor itself should be abandoned" then we'd have a valid argument. So E states the argument is flawed because it "concludes that a shortcoming is fatal, having produced evidence only of the existence of that shortcoming". The shortcoming in this instance is that there is no longer a "proper" plan. And this is true, we failed the necessary conditions for a "proper" plan. But nowhere is it stated that lacking a "proper" plan for an endeavor must lead to the endeavor's abandonment.
That's how I chose E. I hope this helps and am curious if anyone else saw it differently.