Logical reasoning PrepTest 101 · Section 3 · Question 4

Incorrect. P's argument doesn't attempt to show that M's hypothesis is impossible, just that there would be no reason for someone to act as hypothesized. While one way of attacking M's argument would be to show that the hypothesis was impossible, that's not what P attempts to do, so this answer is out of scope. We're looking for an answer that describes a flaw in the argument P makes, not in one she could have made.

Incorrect. M's hypothesis claims this, not P's rebuttal.

Incorrect. P doesn't discuss requirements for a complex oral tradition or requirements of a written language, so this answer is out of scope.

Incorrect. P tries to demonstrate that a hypothesis isn't true ("is laughable"), so this answer can be ruled out.

Correct. Argument or Facts:
Hypothesis/Argument

Valid or Flawed:
NA/Flawed

Question Type:
Errors in Reasoning

Stimulus Summary:
M: Whoever invented the Greek alphabet adapted the Phoenician alphabet to write down Homer's poems.

P: That's ridiculous. That person wouldn't need to write it down, and no one else could have read it.

Answer Anticipation:
We noted in the last question that we didn't need to analyze the logic of P's argument since that was a Methods of Reasoning question. Now, however, we do need to do so, as we're in an Errors in Reasoning question!

P's conclusion here is pretty strong—that a hypothesis is laughable. She attempts to justify this by implying that there would be no reason for a person to act in the manner that M suggests. However, she only takes a look at a couple of reasons that it may be written down! So there are three anticipations we can make—either there's a reason to act in the way M suggests that P hasn't considered, or one of the two reasons she rules out wasn't fully eliminated. The first is more straightforward, but let's dig into the other two.

First, P says that someone who could write down Homer's poems from memory wouldn't need to write them down. However, it's possible that there would be a reason to do so. Maybe keeping them memorized was a lot of work, or they kept on forgetting small details that would then be changed when they tried to memorize it. Any answer suggesting a reason for someone who has a poem memorized to write it down would highlight an error in P's argument.

Second, P says that, since this person would be the only person to know this new Greek alphabet, no one else could read it, so there'd be no reason to write it down for others. However, this person could have written these poems down in Greek with an eye towards using it to teach others to read it.

Let's look for any of these answers.

Answer Explanation:
This answer highlights the flaw in one of the pieces of P's argument. She says that it's laughable someone would develop a new written language to write out Homer's poems in part because no one else could read them. However, if the person developed that language with the intention of teaching it, that objection is invalidated. As such, this answer highlights something that P overlooks, so it's the correct answer.

Key Takeaway:
When someone provides multiple reasons for supporting a conclusion, finding a flaw in the reasoning associated with any of them can serve as a correct answer in an Errors in Reasoning question. Be sure to anticipate answers based on each of the reasons!