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- Tue Sep 21, 2021 4:02 pm
#90624
Complete Question Explanation
Parallel Flaw. The correct answer choice is (A).
In this stimulus, the author makes an argument about the uniqueness of hot spices. They begin by stating a common piece of background info--that to achieve the traditional hotness of spicy cuisines, cooks use some specific kind of chili or other spice--and then follow that with an interesting claim: that if food is sufficiently spiced, it is impossible to tell which ingredient is causing the hot sensation. The author then concludes by saying that none of the hot spices traditionally used is irreplaceable.
Since this is a parallel question, we are being asked to find an answer choice that best matches the author's argument, which in this case is fallacious. Even if it is impossible to tell which ingredient was used to make the dish spicy, there could be other considerations at play as well, such as how spicy the food is. If only certain spices can achieve a desired level of heat, they may not be totally irreplaceable.
Before going into the answer choices, it might be beneficial to restate the author's argument, separate from its specific subject matter:
1) To achieve something, a specific means is utilized.
2) Once that thing is achieved, it is impossible to tell which option was used to achieve it.
3) Therefore, none of the means is irreplaceable.
Answer choice (A): This is the correct answer choice. While not a perfect match to the author's argument, this is still the best answer and the credited response. Pigment makes it possible for fish to see, and since any one of a variety of pigments makes vision possible, no single one is necessary. It gets to the heart of the argument, but in different words: since any one of the (spices/pigments) can help (a dish/fish) achieve (spiciness/sight), none of them is (irreplaceable/necessary).
Answer choice (B): This is an entirely different argument. The stimulus never mentioned a 50%+ threshold, so we can safely skip this answer choice.
Answer choice (C): This is a Mistaken Reversal, which does not occur in the stimulus. Skip.
Answer choice (D): This argues the exact opposite of what the stimulus was saying. This answer choice argues that the end result of a specific means is different enough that it is in fact a unique and irreplaceable event, whereas the stimulus was saying that no specific means results in an outcome unique enough to deem it irreplaceable. Skip.
Answer choice (E): This answer choice takes an opinion and tries to make an absolute claim from it, but this is not the argument we see in the stimulus. Always be wary of parallel answer choices that contain the same subject matter as the stimulus; these answers are almost universally incorrect.
Parallel Flaw. The correct answer choice is (A).
In this stimulus, the author makes an argument about the uniqueness of hot spices. They begin by stating a common piece of background info--that to achieve the traditional hotness of spicy cuisines, cooks use some specific kind of chili or other spice--and then follow that with an interesting claim: that if food is sufficiently spiced, it is impossible to tell which ingredient is causing the hot sensation. The author then concludes by saying that none of the hot spices traditionally used is irreplaceable.
Since this is a parallel question, we are being asked to find an answer choice that best matches the author's argument, which in this case is fallacious. Even if it is impossible to tell which ingredient was used to make the dish spicy, there could be other considerations at play as well, such as how spicy the food is. If only certain spices can achieve a desired level of heat, they may not be totally irreplaceable.
Before going into the answer choices, it might be beneficial to restate the author's argument, separate from its specific subject matter:
1) To achieve something, a specific means is utilized.
2) Once that thing is achieved, it is impossible to tell which option was used to achieve it.
3) Therefore, none of the means is irreplaceable.
Answer choice (A): This is the correct answer choice. While not a perfect match to the author's argument, this is still the best answer and the credited response. Pigment makes it possible for fish to see, and since any one of a variety of pigments makes vision possible, no single one is necessary. It gets to the heart of the argument, but in different words: since any one of the (spices/pigments) can help (a dish/fish) achieve (spiciness/sight), none of them is (irreplaceable/necessary).
Answer choice (B): This is an entirely different argument. The stimulus never mentioned a 50%+ threshold, so we can safely skip this answer choice.
Answer choice (C): This is a Mistaken Reversal, which does not occur in the stimulus. Skip.
Answer choice (D): This argues the exact opposite of what the stimulus was saying. This answer choice argues that the end result of a specific means is different enough that it is in fact a unique and irreplaceable event, whereas the stimulus was saying that no specific means results in an outcome unique enough to deem it irreplaceable. Skip.
Answer choice (E): This answer choice takes an opinion and tries to make an absolute claim from it, but this is not the argument we see in the stimulus. Always be wary of parallel answer choices that contain the same subject matter as the stimulus; these answers are almost universally incorrect.
