#17 - Anarchist: People can either fight for anarchy or they

[Administrator]

Complete Question Explanation

Flaw in the Reasoning. The correct answer choice is (E).

Answer choice (A):

Answer choice (B):

Answer choice (C):

Answer choice (D):

Answer choice (E): This is the correct answer choice.

This explanation is still in progress. Please post any questions below!

[jmcgren2]

Could someone explain why E is correct? I had that one originally but then eliminated it because i thought it wasn't an example of flawed reasoning. I understand that other political alternatives are available, but I thought since the stimulus said that people can either do x or y, we must accept that claim. I thought in flawed reasoning questions we must identify how some premises are unable to lead to some conclusion, not how those premises are just wrong in and of themselves. Thanks!!!

[srusty]

Hi J! You’re correct that we take the premises at face value and find the gaps between the premises and conclusions. In this case, our initial premise says they “can” do these two things, not that they “can only” do these two things. If the premise had said “can only”, then we would be defying the premise. However, the phrasing of the stimulus points us towards a false dichotomy flaw. Hope this helps!

[andy12]

Hi Powerscore,

I selected E, identifying this as a false dilemma, but I struggle to articulate with the same confidence why E is correct and better than A, which is wrong. I find with LR questions where I struggle to choose between two answers, my success rate is much lower than in an overall section.

For this question, is A wrong because there is no mention in the stimulus of the government providing many social goods? Or, is it because the flaw isn't actually why "people should fight for anarchy"/"anarchy is a desirable alternative"? It seems the anarchist does actually give a reason why they think people "should fight for anarchy".

I feel like my reason for going to answer E was more "this feels like a false dilemma, whch I know from Powerscore" (and thank you!) and less my ability to identify why E is good and A is bad.

Thank you!

[Dana D]

Hey Andy,

Answer choice (A) says the argument does not explain why anarchy is a desirable alternative to totalitarian government, but that is not true. The argument says totalitarian government destroys the spirit and makes life miserable - that certainly makes anarchy seem like a better option! However, the real issue is that anarchy is not our only other option - as you stated, we're being presented with a false binary.

Hope that helps!