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explanation we need. The more the congestion, the more the accidents per kilometre, and
thus our requirement for stringent laws. This even explains why we have stringent laws in
the first place: to counter the traffic challenge. This is what we do in a paradox question:
break down the question into smaller bits, find the problem part and rectify that. It is only
one part of the argument that is weak and needs some additional support. Identify that
part.
4. Method of reasoning questions:
The method of reasoning questions are structured like the following examples:
The method of the argument is to
The argument proceeds by
The argument derives its conclusion by
Which one of the following describes the technique of reasoning used above?
Which one of the following is an argumentative strategy employed in the argument?
The argument employs which one of the following reasoning techniques?
Learning through an example of the question type:
Garbage in this neighborhood probably will not be collected until Thursday this week.
Garbage is usually collected here on Wednesdays, and the garbage collectors in this city are
extremely reliable. However, Monday was a public holiday, and after a public holiday that
falls on a Monday, garbage throughout the city is supposed to be collected one day later
than usual.
The argument proceeds by
(A) treating several pieces of irrelevant evidence as though they provide support for the
conclusion
(B) indirectly establishing that one thing is likely to occur by directly ruling out all of the
alternative possibilities
(C) providing information that allows application of a general rule to a specific case
(D) generalizing about all actions of a certain kind on the basis of a description of one such
action
If you have a close look at the answer options above, you would realize that all of them use
generic terms. They basically take facts and information provided to us in the argument and
convert into various possible general options. Now the choice in front of us is to make the
best fit. Lets eliminate options. That way is the easiest to solve this question type:
Option 1 is rejected as there is no irrelevant evidence.
Option 2 is ruled out as no alternative possibilities are discussed. Only one type of
information is given, that is when is garbage collected.
Option 4 is rejected as these is no generalization. In fact, the reverse is true. A general rule is
being applied to a specific case. This leads us to the correct answer.
5. Flaw in reasoning question:
The flaw of reasoning questions are structured like the following examples:
Which one of the following most accurately describes a flaw in the arguments reasoning?
The reasoning in the argument is most vulnerable to criticism on the ground that the
argument
The reasoning above is flawed because it fails to recognize that
A questionable aspect of the reasoning above is that it
The reasoning in the argument is fallacious because the argument
Learning through an example of the question type:
Some people claim that the values that this country was built on are now being ignored by
modern-day corporations. But this is incorrect. Corporations are purely profit-driven
enterprises, beholden only to their shareholders, and as such they can only assess objects
based on their value.
Identify the flaw in the argument above.
The term value is used in the example above in two different senses: first in a moral or
ethical sense and then in a monetary sense. This shift in meaning undermines the authors
position.
Flaw in reasoning questions demand a quick perception on part of the student. You need to
be able to identify the faulty assumptions made by the author, the introduction of
ambiguous terms & the subtle changes in meaning. In a way, it is about picking up the subtle
nuances in reading.