PrepTest 126

Incorrect. In the stimulus, an editor making similar mistakes to those she criticizes in others was used to disregard that criticism. Here, a newspaper making a mistake in one area is used to disregard their criticism in another area. Since there's a shift in area brought up, this answer isn't parallel.

Correct. Argument or Facts:
Argument

Valid or Flawed:
Flawed

Question Type:
Flawed Parallel Reasoning

Stimulus Summary:
An editor who pointed out grammar/spelling errors in a TV show has published similar errors, so her judgment isn't trustworthy.

Answer Anticipation:
The argument here doesn't address whether there are actual errors in the TV program, instead going after the person who levied that criticism. In ignoring the argument and going after the person making it, this argument makes an Attacking the Person flaw, so the correct answer should do the same. Specifically, the person being attacked is accused of making the same mistake that she's criticizing in others, so the correct answer will likely do something similar.

Answer Explanation:
This answer states that criticism from a group should be disregarded because they are guilty of the same thing they criticize. That's the same attack on the group making the argument as the stimulus, so this is the correct answer.

Key Takeaway:
When a rebuttal focuses on the person making the argument instead of the argument itself, it's committing an Attacking the Person flaw. There are some different subsets of this flaw, and noting which one is present—hypocrisy, guilty of the same thing, biased—can be helpful in finding the correct answer.

Incorrect. This argument justifies its conclusion with an actual reason for the condemnation being improper—it doesn't go after the regulatory agency itself.

Incorrect. It's very unclear what the soft-drink company promotional deal has to do with judging swimming practices. If anything, it might be hinting at some bias? Even if so, the stimulus doesn't accuse the editor of bias but rather in lacking credibility on a topic because they made a similar mistake to what they're criticizing.

Incorrect. This argument doesn't feature anyone criticizing another group, so that criticism can't be dismissed because the person making it is guilty of the same thing.