PrepTest 139

Incorrect. The conclusion brings in a new concept (inaccuracies about the product quality), so this argument can't be circular.

Correct. Argument or Facts:
Argument

Valid or Flawed:
Flawed

Question Type:
Errors in Reasoning

Stimulus Summary:
Major health stores sell on commission, and salespeople try to sell the stuff with the highest commission, so if you shop there, expect to be lied to about produce quality.

Answer Anticipation:
That is quite a shift when jumping to the conclusion! While the stimulus does establish that the salespeople have a motive other than getting you the best product in the premises, that doesn't mean that they'll lie about the quality of the products. Maybe the products with the highest commissions also have the best qualities. Or maybe the salespeople are honest about the quality being a little lower on the items with the highest commission, but they're also the cheapest and so people buy them (store brands could be cheap and offer high commissions).

That term shift is the error in reasoning here, so let's find an answer that discusses it.

Answer Explanation:
The claimed inaccuracies are because of a perceived motive to lie on the part of the salespeople, and so this ad hominem answer is correct.

Key Takeaway:
Whenever there's a discussion of bias or ulterior motives, the argument is setting up an ad hominem flaw. If there's no reason given for concluding that an argument is false other than that the person making it might be biased/motivated to lie, this is the flaw.

Incorrect. The premises and conclusion here are about salespeople as a group of individuals, so there's no whole to part jump here.

Incorrect. There's no conditional logic in the stimulus, so an answer describing an illegal reversal isn't correct.

Incorrect. If anything, this answer is questioning the reliability of the word of someone who might be an authority on the subject.