CR Flaws Flashcards
If something has not occurred in the past can it occur in the future?
YES! If something didn’t occur in the past it can still occur in the future.
If the prescribe of something triggers an outcome, what does the mean about the absence of something?
It means nothing about the absence of something.
If required overtime requires 1 1/2 pay and someone chooses to work non-required overtime they could still get 1 1/2 pay. The absence of required overtime doesn’t totally exclude someone from getting 1 1/2 pay. Ex- labor laws could require 1 1/2 pay regardless of if it’s voluntary or required overtime.
If two pieces of evidence don’t agree with each other what do you need?
Evidence that explains the paradox.
If something is true about part of a thing… Is it true about the whole thing?
Not necessarily. If part of a machine is exemplary… It doesn’t mean the whole machine is exemplary. Ex: a car may have an exemplary stereo but as a whole the car sucks bc it has a bad motor.
Just because you support something doesn’t mean it will happen. (Practical Flaw)
Ex - if you support a program you could still cut funding for it bc maybe you value funding some other program more.
Be careful about one person misinterpreting another’s words. Ex: the president says we must “compromise” but then an opponent retorts - “she is abandoning her own principles. They twisted the meaning of compromise.
When a word has two meanings - ex: compromise. It means “come together” or “abandon original idea.” If someone uses the word in one way, another should not interpret the meaning in the opposite way.
4 CR Question Types
SWIM:
Strenghten-add new information to support an existing conclusion.
Weaken-add new information that will undermine an existing conclusion.
Inference-Draw your own inference or conclusion.
Method of Reasoning- Analyze or either describe or mimic the line of reasoning.
What does this mean, “for which of the following foes the conclusion logically follow”
It means, “which of the following answer choices supports the conclusion above? (Which of the following premises supports the conclusion)”
Supports is a tricky word in CR problems
If answer choices support a given conclusion in the paragraph above it’s a strengthen question. If answer choices are supported by the paragraph above it’s an inference question.
If an answer choice on a strengthen or weaken question simply repackages a premise that was already given, it is never the correct answer think of Mayan drought question page 39 veritas.This is only true in strengthen and weaken questions.
On inference questions you can’t predict the answer. Instead you should…
Eliminate answer choices.
On inferences questions what language is a trap?
Extreme language… Only, all, every l, never
Do not assume the inverse on inference questions. If something happens only evaluate the answer choices based on the something happening. You know much less if nothing, about the situation when something does not happen. (If they give you a evaluate the answer choices based on a. Don’t evaluate the answer choices based in not a.)
Inference Question Reminders:
- Make sure you properly categorize inference questions. They are easy to confused with strengthen questions.
- Correct answer choices on inference questions must be true based on the information that is given.
- Scope is the key to success. Do not generalize and do not pick answer choices that are out of scope.
Method of reasoning questions- when the author says “pointing out” they mean that they are directly referencing something.
