PrepTest 152

This answer fails to connect what we know about the adult animated films to what we know about animated films appropriate for children. Without that connection, we can't get to the conclusion.

This answer choice undershoots the conclusion. The author concludes that these movies aren't appropriate for children, whereas this answer says they're seldom appropriate.

Correct. Argument or Facts:
Argument

Valid or Flawed:
Flawed

Question Type:
Strengthen with Sufficient Premise

Stimulus Summary:
Appropriate for children ==> Not Threatening
Adult animated films have dark themes
Adult animated films not appropriate for children

Strategy Overview:
Once created for a question type, we can just reuse that for future questions.

Answer Anticipation:
A conditional rule is provided as a premise. Here, you'll note that we focused on "Not threatening" instead of "innocently whimsical" or "mischievous" because those are connected to that "perhaps" which means they're not guaranteed.

The conclusion is the negation of our sufficient condition, so we should take the contrapositive of the rule:
Threatening ==> Not appropriate for children

Now that our conclusion matches up with the necessary condition, we should check to see if the premise triggers that rule. Here, it doesn't. We're told that these adult animated films have dark themes, not that they're threatening. That must be the gap, so we should look for an answer stating:
If a film has dark themes, then it's threatening.

Answer Explanation:
Exactly right. If films with dark themes are threatening, then we know these adult animated films are threatening. If they're threatening, according to the first premise, then they're not appropriate for children.

Key Takeaway:
When an argument relies on a single conditional being triggered, leading to the conclusion, make sure that the triggering premise matches that sufficient condition. Here, there's a gap between the given trigger ("threatening") and the premise the author uses to trigger it ("dark themes").

This answer doesn't get to the heart of the argument—whether the films are appropriate for children. Enjoyment doesn't factor into the argument.

If anything, this answer choice suggests that the films might be appropriate for children in that they might not pick up on those dark themes. If an answer in a Strengthen with Sufficient Premise question could provide evidence against the conclusion, it can't be correct.