Logical reasoning PrepTest 130 · Section 4 · Question 14

Incorrect. This answer doesn't correctly reflect the opinions from the survey—for example, some of the 23% of people who don't think crime is increasing could still be concerned about the crime that does happen.

Incorrect. There's no causality in this argument, and the crime rate and sentencing are never directly related.

Incorrect. While other surveys could be used to call these results into question, an argument based on a survey isn't flawed for failing to proactively look for other surveys that back up or contradict the results. If a survey is conducted in an acceptable manner, it can lead to valid conclusions without needing to talk about other surveys.

Incorrect. Argument or Facts:
Argument

Valid or Flawed:
Flawed

Question Type:
Errors in Reasoning

Stimulus Summary:
77% believe crime is up; 87% believe sentences should be tougher. So the government should address the crime wave.

Answer Anticipation:
77% of people "feel" that crime is up, and 87% "feel" the judicial system is too lenient? That subjective language should have been a clear sign that you should consider an Appeal to Popular Opinion. This flaw occurs when premises about what people think, believe, or say is true are used to support a conclusion that treats those things as actually true. And that's definitely the case here—the premises are about what people "feel" is true about crime, and the conclusion treats this as establishing that the crime rate actually is rising. The correct answer should highlight this jump from subjective feelings to objective fact.

Answer Explanation:
This answer highlights the Appeal to Popular Opinion from the stimulus. Just because people believe the crime rate is up doesn't mean that it actually is.

Key Takeaway:
Anytime you see a premise about what people think/believe/say/feel, you should start thinking about an Appeal to Popular Opinion—and be wary of any jump to a determination of fact based on that opinion. Similarly, any conclusion about what people or an individual will subjectively believe based on what is true is suspect, as people constantly believe things that are false and disregard established truths.

Incorrect. The conclusion doesn't address how the government should address crime, let alone note that a particular method is the most effective means of doing so.