PrepTest 147, Section 1, Question 6
Some have argued that body size influences mating(24 more words not shown)
The reasoning in the argument(13 more words not shown)
- Aconcludes that one(27 more words not shown)
- Bbases a conclusion(16 more words not shown)
- Cconcludes that an(16 more words not shown)
- Duses a claim(13 more words not shown)
- Edraws a universal(12 more words not shown)
Reading the argument
The conclusion itself sounds plausible: body size might influence whom people choose as partners. Notice how limited that claim is. It doesn't say everyone prefers the same body size or that size is the only thing people care about. Still, a plausible conclusion needs evidence that actually supports its reach.
What we’re looking for
Here we have reports from people of university age and personal ads seeking dates. People's priorities might change as they get older, and people who place newspaper dating ads might differ from people who meet partners in other ways. We haven't been shown that these groups capture the range of societies covered by the conclusion. For the flaw, I'd focus on that leap from these particular sources to such a broad claim.
Working the answers
- A
This describes a particular causal mistake: treating one thing as the cause of another when a third factor might explain both. Our concern isn't an overlooked third event producing both body size and mating decisions. It's whether the people supplying the evidence represent the societies the conclusion covers.
- BCorrect
The sample may not represent the population in the conclusion. Evidence drawn from one age group and from people using a particular way of finding dates could leave out important differences across societies. We don't need to show that body size is irrelevant anywhere. We only need to recognize that these sources haven't established its influence throughout all societies.
- C
The author doesn't claim that body size is the only influence on choosing a partner. Someone could care about size, personality, age, and many other things without contradicting the conclusion. Saying that something influences a decision is much weaker than saying it is the decision's sole cause.
- D
The argument moves from reports and advertisements associated with individuals to a claim about societies. This answer describes the opposite movement: starting with something true of a whole society and assigning it to a particular person. That isn't how this argument uses its evidence.
- E
We aren't told how many reports or advertisements were analyzed. There could be a huge number. The problem is where the information comes from and whom it represents, not a demonstrated shortage of cases. Even a large collection of university-age respondents and newspaper ads could fail to justify a conclusion across all societies.
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