PrepTest 122

Correct. Argument or Facts:
Argument

Valid or Flawed:
Flawed

Question Type:
Errors in Reasoning

Stimulus Summary:
It's often movie stars with lavish lifestyles who criticize the middle class for a lifestyle that damages the environment, so the criticism is invalid.

Answer Anticipation:
This argument falls into a common flawed pattern of reasoning—a group levying criticism is noted as engaging in the same behavior they're criticizing, and so the criticism is dismissed. Throwing out an argument because the people making it are being hypocritical is a common version of an Attacking the Person flaw, so let's find an answer bringing that up.

Answer Explanation:
This answer doesn't specifically call out the hypocrisy, but it does highlight the Letter's focus on the people making the argument rather than the argument itself. Even if the people criticizing the middle class for their ecologically harmful lifestyle are themselves damaging the environment doesn't make them wrong!

Key Takeaway:
Hypocrisy is a common version of the Attacking the Person flaw. Whenever an argument is dismissed because the people making it aren't living up to its standards, expect the answer to address this flaw.

Incorrect. This answer is very tempting! The first half does describe the hypocrisy noted in the Letter. However, the Letter uses that hypocrisy to dismiss their criticism/argument, not to highlight that it's not a sincerely held belief. Even if a hypocrite is acting counter to their beliefs, they can still sincerely hold those beliefs, and the author doesn't accuse those individuals of not really caring about the environment.

Incorrect. The Letter doesn't address the reasoning/grounds for the opposing point at all, instead focusing on who "often" makes that argument.

Incorrect. The details of who is making an argument doesn't undermine a conclusion that their argument should be dismissed unless there's a clear reason that the group in question is an expert in the area. The argument isn't self-contradicting, so this answer is incorrect.

Incorrect. The argument never makes a generalization to all people. The only place where there might be a generalization is in bringing up that movie stars "often" criticize the middle class for their lifestyle to dismiss that argument made by anyone, but that's still not all people as not all people are making that case.