Self-study
We can be sure that Conclusion at least some halogen lamps are well crafted, because Support halogen lamps from most major manufacturers are on display at Furniture Labyrinth. ███ ████ ██ ███████ ██ █████████ █████████ ██ ████ ████████
Method of Reasoning
This is a valid argument based on an inference from “all” and “some.”
All items on display at Furniture Labyrinth are well crafted.
Some halogen lamps are on display at Furniture Labyrinth.
Thus, some halogen lamps are well crafted.
(Note that the part about “most major manufacturers” is an irrelevant distracting detail; the point of that premise is to establish that there are halogen lamps on display. Whether they are from major manufacturers doesn’t impact the reasoning.)
17.
Which one of the following █████████ ██ ████ ███████ ██ ███ █████████ ██ ███ ████████ ██████
a
We can be █████████ ████ ███ ███████████ ████ ████ ████████ ██ ██ █████ ███ ███ ████ █████ ███ █████ ██ █ ██████ ██ ██████ ████ ████ ████ █████ ████████ █████ ███ ███████ ███ ███████████ █████ █████████
This isn’t a valid argument, so it can’t parallel the valid argument in the stimulus. (A) isn’t valid because even if there’s a chance of storms most days this week, that doesn’t guarantee that there will be a storm this week. So we can’t be sure that the temperature will drop abruptly this week.
b
We can be ████████ ████ █████ ███ ██ █████ █ ███ ██████████ ████████ █████ ████ ███████ ███ ███████ ███████ █████████ █████ ██ ████████ ██████████ ███████ ██████ ██ ███████████
This is a valid argument based on an inference from “all” and “some.”
All things written by Melinda are disturbing.
Some sonnets are written by Melinda.
Thus, some sonnets are disturbing.
c
We can be ████ ████ ██████ ████ ███ ██ █████ ████ ████ ██████████ ████ ████ ██ ███ ████ ███████ ███ ███ ████ ███ ███ ██████ ██ ██ ███ ██ ███████ █████ ██ ███ █████ ███ █████ ████ ██ ███████ ██ █████ ████ ██████████ █████
(C) isn’t a valid argument, so it can’t parallel the valid argument in the stimulus. (C) isn’t valid because even if every shop is “capable” of good work, and Gianna “can” have her car worked on at those shops, that doesn’t guarantee she will get her car worked on at those shops or that those shops actually will do good work. Being capable of good work does not imply that one will always do good work.
d
We can be ████████ ████ ██ █████ ████ ███████ ███ ████████ ███████ ████ █████████ ███████ ██ ██████ ███ ██ █████ ██ █████ ███████ ███ █████ ████ ██████ ██ ███████ ████ ███████ █████
(D) isn’t a valid argument, so it can’t parallel the valid argument in the stimulus. (D) isn’t valid because even though every lake nearby contains healthy fish, that doesn’t imply that every fish in a nearby lake is healthy. It’s possible that there are many unhealthy fish in nearby lakes (in addition to the healthy ones), and the minnows in the nearby lakes could be among the unhealthy fish.
e
We can be █████████ ████ ███ ████████ ████ ██ ████████ █████████ ██ █████████ ███ ████████ █████ ████████ ██ █████ ███ ███████████ ████ ██ █████████ █████ ██████ ████████ █ ████ ██ ████████ ██ ████████ ██████████ ████ ██████████ ███████ ███████████ ███ █████
Close, but the conclusion isn’t parallel, because it doesn’t assert that “some” cornmeal is healthful and organic. (E)’s conclusion specifies “the cornmeal used at Matteo’s Trattoria,” but we’re looking for a conclusion that states a more general relationship between some cornmeal and being healthful/organic. (E) could have been correct if the conclusion in the stimulus were “the halogen lamps on display at Furniture Labyrinth are well crafted”.