PrepTest 110

Incorrect. There's no causality (or temporal correlation) in the stimulus, so this correlation/causation answer is out of scope.

Incorrect. None of the premises contradict the conclusion that it's the potatoes that are disliked by the patrons. This answer would be correct if the stimulus noted one of the other dishes included potatoes.

Incorrect. The stimulus notes that people were requesting vegetarian dishes and they ordered two of the three that were added to the menu thus showing that what they said was backed up by their actions. This answer could be correct if the stimulus noted that none of the dishes were ordered despite the requests (even then it could still be that the dishes added weren't very appetizing).

Incorrect. This answer describes a Perception vs. Reality flaw, but while the argument does start out with a request by people, it jumps to using evidence of what they actually order to make a determination about their preferences. A Perception vs. Reality flaw would jump between a premise about perception or reality to a conclusion about the other.

Correct. Argument or Facts:
Argument

Valid or Flawed:
Flawed

Question Type:
Errors in Reasoning

Stimulus Summary:
Phenomenon — Customers order the potatoes and cheese vegetarian dish less frequently than other vegetarian dishes, despite the cheaper cost
Explanation — Customers don't like potatoes!

Answer Anticipation:
This argument falls into the common phenomenon/explanation pattern. The phenomenon? One dish is ordered less frequently than others. The explanation? People don't like the potatoes in it.

When an argument falls into this pattern, it's usually flawed in that it fails to consider other possible explanations. Here, one explanation is ruled out—that people buy the cheaper dish, since the potatoes and cheese dish is cheaper. However, there are definitely other explanations—including related to cost! Maybe people assume that cheaper dishes are less popular or less tasty, so they don't order it. Maybe these vegetarians don't like cheese, another ingredient in the dish.

In failing to rule out these other possibilities before "settling" on an explanation the argument is flawed so we should look for an answer establishing that.

Answer Explanation:
This answer matches our anticipation and reflects the argument. There are several explanations for why the potato dish is unpopular that don't have to deal with it including potatoes.

Key Takeaway:
When an argument concludes one explanation for a noted phenomenon it's likely flawed because it's failing to consider other possible explanations.